survival

noun, often attributive sur·viv·al \ sər-ˈvī-vəl \

Updated on: 16 May 2018

Definition of survival

1 a : the act or fact of living or continuing longer than another person or thing

b : the continuation of life or existence

problems of survival in arctic conditions

2 : one that survives

See survival defined for English-language learners

See survival defined for kids

Examples of survival in a Sentence

The refugees depend on foreign aid for their survival.
Small businesses are fighting for survival.
the survival of an old folktale

Recent Examples of survival from the Web

Needing to beat Stoke, Southampton to lose to Manchester City and a 10-goal swing in goal difference in their favour, Swansea were realistically relegated when Huddersfield guaranteed their survival by holding Chelsea on Wednesday.

— afp, chicagotribune.com, "Swansea relegated from Premier League after home loss to Stoke," 13 May 2018
Kim sees nuclear weapons as central to his survival.

— tracy wilkinson, latimes.com, "Trump's reality-show handling of prisoner release belies hard diplomacy ahead with North Korea," 10 May 2018
This has been the key to its survival, Mylonakis said.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Why doesn't the Leaning Tower of Pisa fall over?," 10 May 2018
This is because the body knows its survival depends on having an abundant ongoing supply of energy, and in response to consuming too little energy the body will take steps to conserve it.

— bryant stamford, The Courier-Journal, "Crash diets might be good for right now, but will punish you long term," 10 May 2018
Worse yet, many are aimed at the cornerstones of our democracy, institutions essential to its survival - the courts, law enforcement, a free press.

— robert higgs, cleveland.com, "AP declares Jim Renacci as winner of GOP primary for U.S. Senate," 8 May 2018
For starters, many people depend on volcanoes for their survival.

— National Geographic, "Why Do So Many People Live Near Active Volcanoes?," 8 May 2018
But a contemporary dance company is challenged by little money and limited access to an audience that could ensure its survival.

— nathan a. thompson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Modern dancers go toe-to-toe with Cambodian tradition," 8 May 2018
Omnipotent police presence, children rioting, and the biblical reference of Death riding a pale white horse are all overlooked due to popularity of Black culture and messages that prioritize materialism over our survival.

— candace mcduffie, Glamour, "Let's Acknowledge the Artists That Paved the Way for Donald Glover's 'This Is America'," 8 May 2018

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

First Known Use of survival

1598

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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SURVIVAL Defined for English Language Learners

survival

noun

Definition of survival for English Language Learners

: the state or fact of continuing to live or exist especially in spite of difficult conditions
: something from an earlier period that still exists or is done

SURVIVAL Defined for Kids

survival

noun sur·viv·al \ sər-ˈvī-vəl \

Definition of survival for Students

: the continuation of life

Our survival depended on finding water.

Learn More about survival

See words that rhyme with survival Spanish Central: Translation of survival Nglish: Translation of survival for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of survival for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about survival

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survival

Definition of survival

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SURVIVAL Defined for English Language Learners

survival

Definition of survival for English Language Learners

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survival

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