# alive

/əˈɫaɪv/ (US) · /ɐlˈaɪv/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/alive
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 2. full of activity

adjective · CEFR B1

full of people, animals, or energy moving around.

For teachers: teeming or swarming with activity or life; often used with the preposition 'with'.

- The forest was alive with the sound of birds singing in the early morning.
- By mid-afternoon, the market square was alive with vendors shouting their prices and tourists weaving through the narrow stalls.

Usage: Commonly follows the pattern 'alive with [something]'.

### 3. still active or existing

adjective · CEFR B2

still continuing to exist or happen.

For teachers: remaining in force, operation, or existence; not yet terminated or forgotten.

- The old tradition is still alive in some small mountain villages.
- Despite the shift toward digital media, the debate over the importance of printed books remains very much alive among educators.

Teaching tip: Often used to describe ideas, hopes, or traditions that have survived over time.

### 4. aware of

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

noticing or understanding something important.

For teachers: fully aware of or sensitive to a specific fact, danger, or opportunity.

- You need to be alive to the risks before you start a new business.
- The board of directors is keenly alive to the possibility of a hostile takeover and has prepared several defensive strategies.

Usage: Usually followed by the preposition 'to'.

### 5. carrying electricity

adjective · CEFR B2 · Technical

having electricity flowing through it.

For teachers: connected to a source of voltage; energized or carrying an electric current.

- Be careful because that wire is alive and could give you a shock.
- The technician used a multimeter to confirm whether the circuit was still alive before attempting to replace the faulty capacitor.

Teaching tip: In everyday British English, 'live' is more common for wires, but 'alive' is used in technical safety contexts.

## Examples

- The plants are still alive after the long winter.
- The city center is really alive at night when all the restaurants and theaters open.
- Biologists are still debating the exact criteria that determine whether a virus can be considered truly alive or merely a complex piece of genetic machinery.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.