durable

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

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

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

—

durability

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

—

durableness

play \ˈdu̇r-ə-bəl-nəs, ˈdyu̇r-\ noun

—

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

Drink Up Available on Amazon, this Zulu kids water bottle is made of durable plastic with a bright silicone sleeve.

— Sunset, "10 Favorite Kids’ Water Bottles," 22 Jan. 2018
Since metallics and glitters tend to last longer on nails, King recommends this kind of shade for a more durable mani.

— samantha brodsky, Good Housekeeping, "A Bottle of Sally Hansen's "Terra-Coppa" Polish Is Reportedly Sold Every Two Minutes," 22 June 2017
Unlike, say, cell phones, guns are durable—just one lasts a lifetime.

— ben wofford, Glamour, "The NRA's Most Wanted Customer: Women," 28 June 2018
As each culture continued to evolve—some have now been through more than 3000 generations—the snowflakes got bigger, the yeast cells became more durable and more elongated, and a new mode of reproduction evolved.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "The momentous transition to multicellular life may not have been so hard after all," 28 June 2018
Exactly how durable something like this will be is a major question.

— ron amadeo, Ars Technica, "The Oppo Find X kills the smartphone notch with a motorized pop-up camera," 20 June 2018
Luckily, avocados are durable and should continue with minimal interruption in growth.

— tom maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Secrets to sunflower success," 2 June 2018
Penders has challenged Susi to get bigger, stronger, more durable and speed up his footwork.

— dom amore, courant.com, "Southington's Zac Susi Brings Baseball Pedigree To Tournament-Bound UConn," 30 May 2018
Vehicles also are becoming more durable, so consumers can keep them longer, further putting a drag on new sales.

— dee-ann durbin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Auto sales remain strong as new year begins," 3 Jan. 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.

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."