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

• 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

While retirement used to be a relatively short period of time after one's career ended, higher life expectancies mean many Americans may outlive their retirement savings. —Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025

The elderly were outliving the young—surely there were bountiful steady positions in this sector. —Nora Lange, New Yorker, 10 July 2025

However, some Valley malls have also outlived their useful life and are in the middle of redevelopment efforts to create something new in the place of a dead mall. —Corina Vanek, AZCentral.com, 29 July 2025

But Osbourne’s best songs, both as a solo artist and with Black Sabbath, should outlive even his most colorful exploits. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing outlive

• outlive one's usefulness

Rhymes for outlive

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

Kids Definition

outlive

verb

out·​live (ˈ)au̇t-ˈliv 

: to live longer than : outlast