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

Old rats paired with younger ones outlived those paired with animals their own age. — Venki Ramakrishnan, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026

Nearly nine decades later, Sanders argues that the standard has outlived the economy that it was built on. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026

The will of the occupied will always outlive the will of the occupier. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

The research, according to Otto, found the dogs involved in search and rescue had minimal health risks and also outlived the average lifespan of their breed. — ABC News, 10 Sep. 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