survived; surviving
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
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Fifteen people survived, including the captain and all crew members except the chef.
—
Arkansas Online, 22 June 2025
It was built to survive a direct air strike and keep functioning.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
One of Macchiarini's surviving patients, Yesim Cetir, was reportedly in an intensive care unit at the Karolinska University Hospital for three years and had to undergo nearly 200 surgeries, according to The New York Times.
—Jessica Sager, People.com, 21 June 2025
Serra’s direction and Lively’s performance keep the film focused tightly on Nancy’s psyche, and the narrowing selection of options that requires her to get creative in order to survive.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for survive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Arkansas Online, 22 June 2025
It was built to survive a direct air strike and keep functioning.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
One of Macchiarini's surviving patients, Yesim Cetir, was reportedly in an intensive care unit at the Karolinska University Hospital for three years and had to undergo nearly 200 surgeries, according to The New York Times.
—Jessica Sager, People.com, 21 June 2025
Serra’s direction and Lively’s performance keep the film focused tightly on Nancy’s psyche, and the narrowing selection of options that requires her to get creative in order to survive.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for survive
Cite this Entry
“Survive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survive. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
survive
verb
sur·vive
sər-ˈvīv 
survived; surviving
: 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share