Definition of DURABLE

Other Words from durable

durability \ˌdu̇r-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē,

ˌdyu̇r- \ noun

durableness \ˈdu̇r-ə-bəl-nəs,

ˈdyu̇r- \ noun

durably \-blē

\ adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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."

Examples of durable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Few fictional heroes have proved as durable as Holmes, who seems to have been ubiquitous on page, stage, and, later, radio and screen since first springing from the brow of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. — Tom Nolan, WSJ, "What to Give: Mysteries," 15 Nov. 2018 Washcloths need to be a lot of things — soft enough to wash your face with or wipe away sweat at the gym, durable enough to clean your house with, and absorbent enough to do all of the above. — Brittney Morgan, House Beautiful, "3,000 People Swear By These 66 Cent Amazon Washcloths," 9 Aug. 2018 The horse industry is as durable as the bluegrass — this year’s Triple Crown winner, Justify, lives on WinStar Farm, adjacent to Mr. Chandler’s homestead. — Michael Tackett, New York Times, "In Conservative Kentucky, Power of Female Candidates Is Tested in Key House Race," 16 June 2018 Brees has also proven durable for the Saints, appearing and starting in 190 games since 2006. — Herbie Teope, NOLA.com, "Drew Brees agrees to 2-year deal with New Orleans Saints: report," 13 Mar. 2018 Chalk up another success for Asia's most durable leader and the politics of guile and ruthlessness. — Fox News, "Hun Sen plays hardball to keep his grip on Cambodia," 31 July 2018 Thompson, who is one of the league’s most durable players, smacked the hardwood with his hand while in obvious pain and eventually limped to the locker room to consult with the team’s training staff. — Sam Amick, USA TODAY, "Klay Thompson returns after scary collision minutes into Game 1 of NBA Finals," 31 May 2018 But Slauson has been a very, very durable player in his career and is a tone setter with his toughness. — Stephen Holder, Indianapolis Star, "Projecting Colts' 2018 starting offensive line," 27 Apr. 2018 Straily, who was the Marlins’ most durable starter in 2017, has been on the disabled list since the season began due to a right forearm strain that occurred late in spring training. — Craig Davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Dan Straily, Martin Prado close to returning to Marlins," 25 Apr. 2018

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.