coexist

verb

co·​ex·​ist ˌkō-ig-ˈzist 

coexisted; coexisting; coexists

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

ˌkō-ig-ˈzi-stən(t)s 

noun

coexistent

ˌkō-ig-ˈzi-stənt 

adjective

Synonyms of coexist

• accompany
• coincide

Examples of coexist in a Sentence

The species coexist in the same environment.

Can the two countries peacefully coexist?

Recent Examples on the Web

And despite this finding, which has coexisted for decades, Congress rarely acts, something usually blamed on lobbying outspending a diffuse majority. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026

Determine what to replace, what needs to coexist and what to integrate. — Leon Lauritsen, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, and the independent Republic of Ireland have been separated since 1921 and coexisted in relative peace since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. — Peter Weber, TheWeek, 14 Sep. 2026

But the new work found that if the rewards change with time (even by a small amount), then a second stable point emerges from the model, allowing both cooperators and defectors to coexist. — Chris Lee, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for coexist

• assist
• blacklist
• booklist
• checklist
• consist
• desist
• dismissed
• enlist
• exist
• insist
• oocyst
• persist

Kids Definition

coexist

verb

co·​ex·​ist ˌkō-ig-ˈzist 

1

: to exist together or at the same time

2

: to live in peace with each other

coexistence

-ˈzis-tən(t)s 

noun

coexistent

-tənt 

adjective