survive

The word “survive” means to stay alive, especially after facing danger, illness, or hardship. In plain terms, to make it through something dangerous or difficult and stay alive, or to still exist after time has passed.

“Survive” is pronounced suh-VYV (/sɚˈvaɪv/ in IPA).

Here is “survive” used in a sentence: “Only a handful of passengers survived the shipwreck.”

“Survive” is a verb.

The word “survive” comes from Late Latin. From Old French survivre, from Late Latin supervivere, "to outlive" — from super ("over") plus vivere ("to live"), the same root that gives us "vivid" and "vital.".

“Survive” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Survive” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to stay alive, especially after facing danger, illness, or hardship.

To survive is simply to stay alive or keep going through hardship, doing just enough to get by. To thrive goes further: it means to flourish, grow, and do well. Someone can survive a difficult year yet not thrive in it, which is why the two words are often contrasted.

Live simply means to be alive or to spend one's life in some way. Survive adds the idea of coming through danger, illness, or hardship and remaining alive despite it. You live every day, but you survive an accident, an ordeal, or a serious illness that could have ended your life.

The clearest opposites are to die, perish, or succumb, since survival means staying alive through danger. In wider use, survive can also mean lasting or enduring, so its opposite might be to fail, collapse, or fade away, as when a business does not survive a difficult period.

You might say, "Only two passengers survived the crash," or "The family struggled to survive the harsh winter." The word can also describe things lasting over time, as in "Few of the original buildings survive today," showing that survival applies to endurance as well as to staying alive.