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

Caterham outlived her late husband, Norman Caterham, who died in 1976, as well as their two children, daughters Gem and Anne. — Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026

These disputes can outlive multiple corporate and presidential administrations. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026

Such is the power of mythic literature that the creation has outlived his creator. — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026

Jackson Pollock was more famous, but Lee Krasner outlived him by almost three decades. — Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 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