outlive

verb

out·​live ˌau̇t-ˈliv How to pronounce outlive (audio)
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 changesJ. B. Conant

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Women outlive men in dire circumstances — even though girls in many parts of the world have access to fewer resources, such as food and medical care. Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 7 July 2025 Few other franchises can boast that, and Jurassic Park has outlived the box office runs of most recent Marvel and Star Wars films at this point. Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025 Thus, what the crowd witnessed onstage at The Ryman was nothing short of the continuance of a song and style with history that will outlive its players. Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 Across time and cultures, women have consistently outlived men by 5 to 20%, says Steven Austad, scientific director of the American Federation for Aging Research. Anne Marie Chaker, Time, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for outlive

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of outlive was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Outlive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outlive. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

outlive

verb
out·​live (ˈ)au̇t-ˈliv How to pronounce outlive (audio)
: to live longer than : outlast

More from Merriam-Webster on outlive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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