durable

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adjective du·ra·ble \ ˈdu̇r-ə-bəl also ˈdyu̇r- \

Definition of durable

:able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration in quality or value

a durable suitcase

; also :designed to be durable

durable goods

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durability

play \ˌdu̇r-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē, ˌdyu̇r-\ noun

—

durableness

play \ˈdu̇r-ə-bəl-nəs, ˈdyu̇r-\ noun

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durably

play \-blē\ adverb

See durable defined for English-language learners

See durable defined for kids

durable was our Word of the Day on 12/03/2015. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of durable from the Web

Spending on durable goods accounts for a small part of American economic output.

— paul wiseman, The Seattle Times, "US durable goods orders post biggest drop since August 2014," 25 Aug. 2017
For one, several different kinds of durable goods have reached the end of their life cycles, said Professor Ueda of Waseda University.

— thisanka siripala, New York Times, "Thanks to a Shopping Spree, Japan Is Looking Up. It May Not Last.," 18 Aug. 2017
Since joining the Patriots in 2009, Ninkovich had proven to be one of the team's most durable and dependable players.

— maureen mullen, Daily Southtown, "Lincoln-Way Central grad Rob Ninkovich retires after 11 NFL seasons," 30 July 2017
Philip Rivers is as durable as NFL quarterbacks come, and the guys who have backed him up make most of their impact in meeting rooms and not on the field.

— dan woike, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Should Chargers have worked out Kaepernick instead of RG3?," 25 July 2017
Just as important, the meeting represented the collision of humanity’s most ancient and durable form of economic organisation with its most powerful.

— The Economist, "Living off the land," 20 July 2017
Durable clothes like jeans, tees, and sweaters can be rolled to fit between crevices and around harder items, while delicate dresses, blouses or suits can be flat packed in plastic dry cleaning bags to minimize wrinkles.

— jane sung, Teen Vogue, "How to Pack Any Bag in 15 Minutes," 20 July 2017
Sessions’s move defied a broad, durable consensus against civil forfeiture on both the left and the right in recent years.

— matt ford, The Atlantic, "The Bipartisan Opposition to Sessions's New Civil-Forfeiture Rules," 19 July 2017
That’s why researchers have been on a quest to find more durable data storage, like diamonds and even DNA.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Scientists Store Video Clip in DNA of Living Cells," 15 July 2017

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

Did You Know?

Something "durable" lasts a long time, so it's no surprise that the word comes to us, via Anglo-French, from the Latin verb durare, meaning "to last." Other descendants of "durare" in English include "during," "endure," and "durance" (which now mostly turns up in the phrase "in durance vile," a fancy way of saying "in prison"). "Durable" even has a near synonym in the much rarer "perdurable," which combines "durare" with the prefix per- (meaning "throughout") to create a word that can mean "lasting a very long time or indefinitely" or "eternal."

Origin and Etymology of durable

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin durabilis, from durare to last — more at during

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First Known Use: 14th century

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Synonym Discussion of durable

lasting, permanent, durable, stable mean enduring for so long as to seem fixed or established. lasting implies a capacity to continue indefinitely.

- a book that left a lasting impression on me

permanent adds usually the implication of being designed or planned to stand or continue indefinitely.

- permanent living arrangements

durable implies power to resist destructive agencies.

- durable fabrics

stable implies lastingness because of resistance to being overturned or displaced.

- a stable government

DURABLE Defined for English Language Learners

durable

play

adjective

Definition of durable for English Language Learners

: staying strong and in good condition over a long period of time

DURABLE Defined for Kids

durable

play

adjective du·ra·ble \ ˈdu̇r-ə-bəl , ˈdyu̇r- \

Definition of durable for Students

:able to last a long time durable furniture

Learn More about durable

Spanish Central: Translation of durable Nglish: Translation of durable for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of durable for Arabic speakers

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durable

Definition of durable

durability

durableness

durably

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durable was our Word of the Day on 12/03/2015. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of durable from the Web

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Origin and Etymology of durable

Synonym Discussion of durable

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DURABLE Defined for English Language Learners

durable

Definition of durable for English Language Learners

DURABLE Defined for Kids

durable

Definition of durable for Students

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