outlive

verb

out·​live ˌau̇t-ˈliv 

outlived; outliving; outlives

transitive verb

1

: to live beyond or longer than

outlived most of his friends

outlive its usefulness

2

: to survive the effects of

Universities … outlive many political and social changes.

—J. B. Conant

Synonyms of outlive

• survive
• outlast

Examples of outlive in a Sentence

No mother wants to outlive her children.

He outlived his wife by 10 years.

Recent Examples on the Web

While his beloved character didn’t outlive the zombie apocalypse, his romance with Pak bloomed. — Adrianne Reece, InStyle, 28 July 2026

But Yorek noted that Seman had a way of building relationships and a community that will outlive him. — Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026

The mystery has now outlived most of the people suspected of causing it. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 July 2026

Annuities As older Americans worry about outliving their savings, the popularity of annuities has soared in recent years. — Brian Sloan, CNBC, 21 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing outlive

• outlive one's usefulness

Rhymes for outlive

• argive
• forgive
• ogive
• relive
• corroborative
• determinative
• germinative
• transformative
• give
• sieve
• resistive

Kids Definition

outlive

verb

out·​live (ˈ)au̇t-ˈliv 

: to live longer than : outlast