survival

noun

sur·​viv·​al sər-ˈvī-vəl 

often attributive

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

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

McDevitt said his research found that over the last twenty years, when independent clinics are acquired by DaVita or Fresenius, their transplant referrals drop by about 10%, their patient survival rates fall by 2%, hospitalizations increase by 5%, and infection rates go up by about 12%. —Sheena Samu, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025

Assured of his children's well-being, Xavier made the difficult decision to leave Paradise and return to Earth's surface in search of Teri and the truth about her possible survival. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Dec. 2025

The actor-director is best known for his role as Travis in Showtime’s plane crash survival series Yellowjackets, which drops its fourth and final season next year. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Dec. 2025

Silence was the surest survival strategy – until Syrians rose up during the Arab Spring and Assad’s brutal crackdown on protesters led the country into a decade-long civil war. —Tala Alrajjal, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing survival

• chance of survival
• survival instinct
• survival mechanism
• survival of the fittest

Rhymes for survival

• archival
• arrival
• revival
• conjunctival
• rival
• subconjunctival

Kids Definition

survival

noun

sur·​viv·​al sər-ˈvī-vəl 

1

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

survival of half the population after the epidemic

2

: a continuation of life despite difficult conditions

skills for survival in the desert

3

: one that survives