outlive

verb

out·​live ˌau̇t-ˈliv 

outlived; outliving; outlives

transitive verb

1

: to live beyond or longer than

outlived most of his friends

outlive its usefulness

2

: to survive the effects of

Universities … outlive many political and social changes.

—J. B. Conant

Synonyms of outlive

• survive
• outlast

Examples of outlive in a Sentence

No mother wants to outlive her children.

He outlived his wife by 10 years.

Recent Examples on the Web

Bangkok has argued that 25 years and five rounds of formal talks under the 2001 MOU produced no real progress, and that the framework had simply outlived its usefulness. — Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, an Inglewood Democrat, is carrying the measure for a coalition of public safety unions, which argue that the reform has saved billions of dollars and has outlived its usefulness. — Dan Walters, Oc Register, 7 July 2026

So even if couples married at the same age, wives are more likely to outlive their partners. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 July 2026

That and the other aforementioned songs established a catalog that would far outlive the disco backlash that effectively ended the group’s initial run. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing outlive

• outlive one's usefulness

Rhymes for outlive

• argive
• forgive
• ogive
• relive
• corroborative
• determinative
• germinative
• transformative
• give
• sieve
• resistive

Kids Definition

outlive

verb

out·​live (ˈ)au̇t-ˈliv 

: to live longer than : outlast