outlive

verb

out·​live ˌau̇t-ˈliv How to pronounce outlive (audio)
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 changesJ. B. Conant

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This reality is especially pronounced for women, who often outlive their husbands by years or even decades. Joseph Coughlin, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025 These two veterans of a long, bloody war have mostly outlived their usefulness to their respective causes. Noel Murray, New York Times, 14 May 2025 When starting with similar assets and investment strategies, a woman’s chances of outliving her retirement savings are more than double that of a man — 12.6% versus 5%. Bruce Helmer, Twin Cities, 10 May 2025 Hackman appeared to have outlived Arakawa at home by about a week, possibly unaware of his wife’s death. Morgan Lee, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for outlive

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of outlive was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Outlive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outlive. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

outlive

verb
out·​live (ˈ)au̇t-ˈliv How to pronounce outlive (audio)
: to live longer than : outlast

More from Merriam-Webster on outlive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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