outlive

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verb out·live \ ˌau̇t-ˈliv \

Definition of outlive

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

See outlive defined for English-language learners

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Examples of outlive in a Sentence

No mother wants to outlive her children.
He outlived his wife by 10 years.

Recent Examples of outlive from the Web

For a run-through of two movements of Saint-Saëns’s Symphony No. 3, a monster orchestra of more than 250 competed on equal terms with the mighty organ that has outlived the building’s churchly uses.

— james r. oestreich, New York Times, "In These Orchestras, Youth Meets Musical Beauty," 18 July 2017
On the right, Mitt Romney's 2012 loss was followed by years of investments, backed largely by the Koch and Mercer families, that would outlive any single candidate.

— eric bradner, CNN, "#2020Vision: Dems play tech catch-up; Sanders not taking 2020 'off the table'; Biden on the Hill," 14 July 2017
A widower who has outlived his siblings and several of his five children, Mr. Staton said he was born on Valentine’s Day in 1915, and grew up in a poor family with no money for music lessons and no radio in the house.

— corey kilgannon, New York Times, "At 102, a ‘Triple-Digit’ Jazzman Plays On," 29 June 2017
The timber playground built by the Colerain Community Playground Commission has outlived its usefulness and is now in need of replacement, as the need and costs for maintenance continue to escalate.

— jennie key, Cincinnati.com, "Township hires familiar face to head public services," 28 June 2017
Of course, people have outlived 115, but not by much.

— sean rossman, USA TODAY, "How long can humans live?," 28 June 2017
The John Browns and Charles Hamiltons in our midst are only too willing to precipitate catastrophes that long outlive the men themselves.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Press pause," 14 June 2017
The justices recognize their decisions will long outlive Donald J. Trump.

— mark sherman, The Seattle Times, "Supreme Court travel ban case could test Trump’s reach," 27 May 2017
Unfortunately, some of the patients outlive the caregivers because the caregivers don’t necessarily take care of themselves.

— emily bazar, Orange County Register, "Caring for a loved one? Care for yourself, too," 27 May 2017

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

First Known Use of outlive

15th century

outlive Synonyms

Synonyms

outlast, outwear

Related Words

survive; outstay; abide (beyond), endure (past), hold (past), hold out (past), last (beyond), persist (beyond); draw out, perpetuate; succeed

OUTLIVE Defined for English Language Learners

outlive

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verb

Definition of outlive for English Language Learners

: to live longer than (someone)
: to continue to exist longer than (something) : to outlast (something)

OUTLIVE Defined for Kids

outlive

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verb out·live \ au̇t-ˈliv \

Definition of outlive for Students

outlived; outliving

:to live or last longer than

That rule has outlived its usefulness.

Learn More about outlive

See words that rhyme with outlive Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for outlive Spanish Central: Translation of outlive Nglish: Translation of outlive for Spanish speakers

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outlive

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