survival

noun, often attributive

sur·viv·al | \ sər-ˈvī-vəl

Definition of survival

1a : 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

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 on the Web

The elections, which the Turkish strongman had depicted as a fight for the country’s survival, were largely seen as a test of his support amid a sharp economic downturn. — Zeynep Bilginsoy, The Seattle Times, "Turkey’s ruling party leads local elections but loses Ankara," 31 Mar. 2019 This isn’t the first evidence that mutations can prove beneficial for disease resistance and long-term survival. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "Could Shark DNA Help Fight Cancer in Humans?," 22 Feb. 2019 Once upon a time, there was a survival game called H1Z1. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Diablo rises from the dead on GOG, Dead or Alive's $93 season pass, Halo on PC?," 8 Mar. 2019 Below is a moody roguelike survival game that has been years in development. — Tom Warren, The Verge, "The 10 best games for your new Xbox One," 26 Dec. 2018 Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is an open-world zombie-survival game set in the the deadly apocalyptic wastes of near-future New England. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "If You Can't Beat It, Code It," 17 Dec. 2018 In other words, Hanukkah is about both Jewish survival and Jewish individuality: a celebration of Jews’ refusal to surrender their identity and values. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "Why Hanukkah’s message of Jewish resilience matters so much after Pittsburgh," 29 Nov. 2018 That will include sending teams of recruiters into CrossFit sports competitions and popular gaming contests such as Ultimate Fighter, Madden Football or the addictive Fortnite: Battle Royale, an online survival game. — Fox News, "Army misses 2018 recruiting goal," 24 Sep. 2018 The game is what’s known as an open-world survival game, in which players collect resources, make tools and weapons, and try to stay alive as long as possible. — NBC News, "What is 'Fortnite?': A look at the video game that has become a phenomenon," 30 June 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.