exist

verb ex·ist \ ig-ˈzist \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Examples: exist in a Sentence

Definition of exist

existed; existing; exists

intransitive verb

1 a : to have real being whether material or spiritual

did unicorns exist

the largest galaxy known to exist

b : to have being in a specified place or with respect to understood limitations or conditions

strange ideas existed in his mind

2 : to continue to be

racism still exists in society

3 a : to have life or the functions of vitality

we cannot exist without oxygen

b : to live at an inferior level or under adverse circumstances

the hungry existing from day to day

See exist defined for English-language learners

See exist defined for kids

Examples of exist in a Sentence

She believes that ghosts really do exist.
It's the largest galaxy known to exist.
Does life exist on Mars?
The Internet didn't exist then.
We shouldn't ignore the problems that exist in our own community.
Racism still exists in our society.
The organization may soon cease to exist if more funding isn't provided.

Recent Examples of exist from the Web

That probe, in turn, led personnel department officials to uncover unauthorized purchases, falsified invoices and $24,900 in payments to a consulting company that did not exist, said Frank Bush, general manager at Building and Safety.

— shelby grad, latimes.com, "Essential California: Misconduct alleged at L.A.'s Building and Safety agency," 16 June 2018
Anduril is a magic sword in the Lord of the Rings universe, but also the name of former Oculus Rift wunderkind Palmer Luckey’s company that exists to build a virtual borrder wall.

— brian barrett, WIRED, "Security News This Week: A Popular Spanish Soccer App Used Phone Mics to Snoop," 16 June 2018
The headfirst dive into a business that didn’t exist a year ago has rattled cities and comes with numerous risks and unknowns that make large-scale success anything but assured.

— eliot brown, WSJ, "Scoot Over: A Two-Wheeled Gold Rush in Silicon Valley," 15 June 2018
But the two defeats have exposed huge weaknesses in the team which didn't exist four years ago.

— SI.com, "World Cup Preview: Argentina vs Iceland - Recent Form, Stats, Team News & More," 15 June 2018
In this bizarro world where black people are supervillains and white eyes can see guns that do not exist, these heroes are virtually unstoppable.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Whiteness Is a Superpower," 15 June 2018
Like the De Palma and Miike films, this one takes place in a self-aware cinematic world where taboos don't exist and anything is possible, the writer-director hurling out narrative developments and sci-fi conceits.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Upgrade is so derivative, it’s original," 14 June 2018
Among the hundreds of titles that exist to date, here are but a few that have captured our attention: Gertie, the animation pioneer Cartoonist Winsor McCay, best known for his strip Little Nemo, also was a vaudevillian and an animator.

— pam grady, SFChronicle.com, "Cinematic dinosaurs roared long before the first ‘Jurassic’ movie," 14 June 2018
While the Italian coin doesn’t exist yet, other countries like Venezuela, or a sovereign state like the Marshall Islands, have launched their own domestic currencies before.

— shannon liao, The Verge, "Stephen Bannon owns a ‘good stake’ in bitcoin, which he thinks can help him regain power and influence," 14 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of exist

Latin exsistere to come into being, exist, from ex- + sistere to stand, stop; akin to Latin stare to stand — more at stand

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1568

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

exist Synonyms

EXIST Defined for English Language Learners

exist

verb

Definition of exist for English Language Learners

: to have actual being : to be real
: to continue to be or to live

EXIST Defined for Kids

exist

verb ex·ist \ ig-ˈzist \

Definition of exist for Students

existed; existing

1 : to have actual being : be real

Do unicorns exist?

2 : to be found : occur

Problems exist in every neighborhood.

3 : to continue to live

She barely earned enough to exist.

Word Root of exist

The Latin word sistere, meaning “to stand,” “to appear,” “to stop,” or “to put,” gives us the root sist. Words from the Latin sistere have something to do with standing, appearing, stopping, or putting. To assist, or help, is to stand by someone in order to give aid. To consist is to be made up of a number of thing put together. To exist, or have actual being, is to appear real. To persist is to refuse to stop doing or saying something.