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sur·vive | \ sər-ˈvīv 
\
\survived; surviving
Definition of survive
1 : to remain alive or in existence : live on
2 : to continue to function or prosper
1 : to remain alive after the death of
he is survived by his wife
2 : to continue to exist or live after
survived the earthquake
3 : to continue to function or prosper despite : withstand they survived many hardships
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Other Words from survive
survivor \ sər-ˈvī-vər \ noun
\ noun
Examples of survive in a Sentence
I don't see how any creature can survive under those conditions.
bacteria that survive in extreme temperatures
Only a few written records survive from those times.
These ancient practices still survive in some regions.
Some of the original bridges survive.
Many businesses are struggling to survive in today's economy.
Only his son survived him.
She survived her husband by only a few years.
He survived a political scandal and was elected to the state legislature.
The company survived the recession.
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Recent Examples on the Web Trailing 24-21 in the waning seconds of regulation, the Yellow Jackets looked to have survived when quarterback Tobias Oliver dashed 17 yards up the middle for an apparent touchdown.
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Joel Boyd, chicagotribune.com, "College football Week 3 wrap-up: Which team self-destructed the worst? Why are Florida fans mad at Brian Griese? And the Heisman contender in Oklahoma who isn’t named Jalen Hurts.," 16 Sep. 2019 The loss of Williams, who started three games and played in all 13 as a freshman, isn’t optimal but UW should have enough depth to survive this week.
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Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "UW suffers another injury hit with nose tackle Bryson Williams out with a leg injury," 5 Sep. 2019 This text, donated to the Free Library of Philadelphia in 1944, represents the first published collection of Shakespeare’s plays and is one of around 230 folios known to survive today.
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Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Is This John Milton’s Annotated Copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio?," 17 Sep. 2019 Plus The United Auto Workers union needs the GM strike to survive, experts say.
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Petra Cahill, NBC News, "Trump's tax returns, Israelis vote on Netanyahu's political future & 'Dancing' the political twist: The Morning Rundown," 17 Sep. 2019 Impossibly chic, yet comfortable enough to survive a 14-hour flight, her statement footwear was the perfect finish to an otherwise cozy, casual look.
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Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Rihanna Took NYFW’s Hottest Street Style Shoe to the Airport," 16 Sep. 2019 Unfortunately for these Glendale, California, students, a nuclear blast happens to arrive just in time for the homecoming dance, and in the aftermath, the high school and all of its students have to band together to survive.
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Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Netflix's "Daybreak" Releases First Trailer for the Apocalyptic High School Drama," 16 Sep. 2019 In a recent example, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Associationfound that lung cancer patients undergoing radiation were less likely to survive when hurricane disasters disrupted their treatments.
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Emily Holden, Scientific American, "Climate Change Is Having Widespread Health Impacts," 16 Sep. 2019 Most of the country is too busy trying to survive to think much about the past.
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The Economist, "A sad, tawdry end for Robert Mugabe," 15 Sep. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'survive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for survive
survive
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of survive
: to remain alive : to continue to live
: to continue to exist
: to remain alive after the death of (someone)
See the full definition for survive in the English Language Learners Dictionary
survive
verbsur·vive | \ sər-ˈvīv \
\survived; surviving
Kids Definition of survive
1 : to remain alive : continue to exist
No creature can survive without water. The tradition survives to this day.
2 : to live or exist longer than or past the end of
The house survived the flood.
survive
verbsur·vive | \ sər-ˈvīv \
\survived; surviving
Medical Definition of survive
: to remain alive or in existence : live on
1 : to remain alive after the death of
his son survived him
2 : to continue to exist or live after
survived the stroke
Other Words from survive
survival \ -ˈvī-vəl \ noun
\ nounsurvivor \ -ˈvī-vər \ noun
\ nounKeep scrolling for more
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