coexist

play

verb co·ex·ist \ ˌkō-ig-ˈzist \

Definition of coexist

intransitive verb

1 :to exist together or at the same time

2 :to live in peace with each other especially as a matter of policy

—

coexistence

play \ˌkō-ig-ˈzi-stən(t)s\ noun

—

coexistent

play \ˌkō-ig-ˈzi-stənt\ adjective

See coexist defined for English-language learners

See coexist defined for kids

Examples of coexist in a Sentence

The species coexist in the same environment.
Can the two countries peacefully coexist?

Recent Examples of coexist from the Web

Cyanobacteria and algae coexist, filling different roles.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "The Origin Story of Animals Is a Song of Ice and Fire," 16 Aug. 2017
Then, there are other medical conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure and heart disease that can coexist with asthma and complicate diagnosis and treatment.

— judith graham, Kaiser Health News, "Asthma, More Deadly With Age, Takes Heavy Toll On Older Adults," 10 Aug. 2017
Fossils from rainforest animals were found at the site but don’t bear the marks of a human kill and may not have coexisted with modern humans.

— april reese, Science | AAAS, "Modern humans were in Southeast Asia 20,000 years earlier than thought, ancient teeth reveal," 9 Aug. 2017
Most days, those tribes peacefully coexist, as the slum is consumed by honking minibuses and a frenzy of commercial activity, with traffic moving across the bridge in both directions.

— kevin sieff, Washington Post, "As Kenya elections draw near, country reveals an electorate divided by tribe," 5 Aug. 2017
While Musk’s Boring Co. focuses on the East Coast of the U.S., competitors could still coexist.

— sarah mcbride, Bloomberg.com, "Elon Musk Inspired an Industry of Hyperloop Startups. Now He’s Building His Own," 4 Aug. 2017
The team concluded that Bsal and salamanders probably have coexisted in Asia for millions of years.

— erik stokstad, Science | AAAS, "A fungus is attacking Europe’s most beloved salamander. It could wreak havoc if it gets to North America," 19 July 2017
The two sides coexist much like Marvel’s parallel universes in movies and comic books.

— kim bhasin, Bloomberg.com, "Winter Comes to ‘Game of Thrones.’ But for Spinoffs, It’s Springtime," 17 July 2017
Some scientists believe Californians will need to learn to coexist with an increasingly flammable landscape, especially if climate change continues unabated.

— joshua emerson smith, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Are wildfires worsening due to development, climate change and controversial forest management?," 7 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coexist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of coexist

1667

coexist Synonyms

Synonyms

accompany, attend, coincide, concur, co-occur, synchronize

Related Words

chance, hap, happen, transpire

Near Antonyms

antedate, precede, predate; follow, succeed

COEXIST Defined for English Language Learners

coexist

play

verb

Definition of coexist for English Language Learners

: to exist together or at the same time
: to live in peace with each other

Learn More about coexist

See words that rhyme with coexist Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for coexist Spanish Central: Translation of coexist Nglish: Translation of coexist for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of coexist for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up coexist? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

coexist

Definition of coexist

coexistence

coexistent

Examples of coexist in a Sentence

Recent Examples of coexist from the Web

First Known Use of coexist

coexist Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

COEXIST Defined for English Language Learners

coexist

Definition of coexist for English Language Learners

Learn More about coexist

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

toothsome

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Let's Talk 'Tea'

8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

Ask the Editors

Words of the Year: 1066

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Irregardless

Weird Plurals

Word Games

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066

coexist

Definition of coexist

coexistence

coexistent

From the M-W Editors

Examples of coexist in a Sentence

Recent Examples of coexist from the Web

First Known Use of coexist

coexist Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

COEXIST Defined for English Language Learners

coexist

Definition of coexist for English Language Learners

Learn More about coexist

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066