outlive

verb

out·​live ˌau̇t-ˈliv 

outlived; outliving; outlives

transitive verb

1

: to live beyond or longer than

outlived most of his friends

outlive its usefulness

2

: to survive the effects of

universities … outlive many political and social changes

—J. B. Conant

Synonyms

• survive
• outlast

Examples of outlive in a Sentence

No mother wants to outlive her children.

He outlived his wife by 10 years.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the Democrats have lost ground to Republicans in voter registration in all 30 states that register voters by party, suggesting Kirk’s 2024 get-out-the-vote work may outlive him. —W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025

At 103 years old, the woman who first stepped into the story of the Black Dahlia murder would be the last to leave it, having outlived every other participant. —Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025

But barring some horrific tragedy, those gingko trees will outlive me, and there is a certain comfort in that. —Katherine Polcari, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2025

Today, the Tibetan government in exile is a vibrant democracy that will outlive this Dalai Lama. —Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing outlive

• outlive one's usefulness

Rhymes for outlive

• forgive
• ogive
• relive
• corroborative
• determinative
• germinative
• transformative
• give
• sieve
• resistive

Kids Definition

outlive

verb

out·​live (ˈ)au̇t-ˈliv 

: to live longer than : outlast