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survive

 - 4 dictionary results

sur⋅vive

  [ser-vahyv] verb, -vived, -viv⋅ing.
Use survive in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to remain alive after the death of someone, the cessation of something, or the occurrence of some event; continue to live: Few survived after the holocaust.
2. to remain or continue in existence or use: Ancient farming methods still survive in the Middle East.
3. to get along or remain healthy, happy, and unaffected in spite of some occurrence: She's surviving after the divorce.
–verb (used with object)
4. to continue to live or exist after the death, cessation, or occurrence of: His wife survived him. He survived the operation.
5. to endure or live through (an affliction, adversity, misery, etc.): She's survived two divorces.
Origin:
1425–75; late ME < MF survivre < L supervīvere, equiv. to super- super- + vīvere to live; see sur- 1 , vivid

Synonyms:
1. persist, succeed. Survive, outlive refer to remaining alive longer than someone else or after some event. Survive usually means to succeed in keeping alive against odds, to live after some event that has threatened one: to survive an automobile accident. It is also used of living longer than another person (usually a relative), but, today, mainly in the passive, as in the fixed expression: The deceased is survived by his wife and children. Outlive stresses capacity for endurance, the time element, and sometimes a sense of competition: He outlived all his enemies. It is also used, however, of a person or object that has lived or lasted beyond a certain point: He has outlived his usefulness.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To survive
sur·vive   (sər-vīv')   
v.   sur·vived, sur·viv·ing, sur·vives

v.   intr.

  1. To remain alive or in existence.

  2. To carry on despite hardships or trauma; persevere: families that were surviving in tents after the flood.

  3. To remain functional or usable: I dropped the radio, but it survived.

v.   tr.

  1. To live longer than; outlive: She survived her husband by five years.

  2. To live, persist, or remain usable through: plants that can survive frosts; a clock that survived a fall.

  3. To cope with (a trauma or setback); persevere after: survived child abuse.


[Middle English surviven, from Old French sourvivre, from Latin supervīvere : super-, super- + vīvere, to live; see gwei- in Indo-European roots.]
sur·vi'vor n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

survive 
1473, originally in the legal (inheritance) sense, from Anglo-Fr. survivre, from O.Fr. souvivre, from L. supervivere "live beyond, live longer than," from super "over, beyond" (see super-) + vivere "to live" (see vivid). Survival is attested from 1598; phrase survival of the fittest was used by Spencer in place of Darwin's natural selection. Survivable "capable of being survived" is attested from 1961. Survivalist "one who practices outdoor survival skills" (often in anticipation of apocalypse or in fear of the government) is recorded from 1985.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: sur·vive
Pronunciation: s&r-'vIv
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: sur·vived; sur·viv·ing
intransitivesenses
: to remain alive or in existence : live on survive transitive senses
1 : to remain alive after the death of survived him>
2 : to continue to exist or live after <survived the stroke> —sur·vi·val /-'vI-v&l/ noun —sur·vi·vor /-'vI-v&r/ noun
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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