survive
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to continue to live after a dangerous accident, illness, or disaster.
to remain alive after a life-threatening event or period of hardship.
Simple“The small plants managed to survive the cold winter without any extra protection.”
In context“Few species are equipped to survive the extreme temperatures and lack of oxygen found at such high altitudes.”
UsageOften used with 'on' to describe the food or resources used to stay alive.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to live longer than another person, especially a family member.
to outlive another person, typically a relative; often used in formal contexts like obituaries.
Simple“She was sad to survive her younger brother by ten years.”
In context“The deceased is survived by his wife of fifty years and three adult children.”
UsageIn formal writing, the passive form 'is survived by' is standard for listing living relatives.
- 03 B1 Intermediate
to continue to exist or be used after a long time.
to persist in existence or remain functional despite the passage of time or changing circumstances.
Simple“Many ancient traditions still survive in the small mountain villages.”
In context“Only a handful of original manuscripts survive from the library's extensive medieval collection.”
UsageIntransitive use; does not require a direct object.
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
to stay in a top sports league and not be moved to a lower one.
to avoid demotion or relegation to a lower division within a competitive league structure.
Simple“The team needs to win their final game to survive in the Premier League.”
In context“After a disastrous start to the season, the club's primary objective was simply to survive the drop into the second tier.”
Teacher's tipThis is a very common metaphor in British football culture.
Synonymsstay upAntonymsbe relegated
Usage survive long · survive today · survived the lunch
From Anglo-Norman survivre, Old French survivre, from Late Latin supervivere (“to outlive”), from Latin super (“over”) + vivere (“to live”), akin to vita (“life”). See vivid. Compare devive, revive.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.