survive

/seuhr vuyv"/, v., survived, surviving.

v.i.

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.

v.t.

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.

[1425-75; late ME < MF survivre < L supervivere, equiv. to super- SUPER- + vivere to live; see SUR-¹, VIVID]

Syn. 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.

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