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survival

American  
[ser-vahy-vuhl] / sərˈvaɪ vəl /

noun

  1. the act or fact of surviving, especially under adverse or unusual circumstances.

  2. a person or thing that survives or endures, especially an ancient custom, observance, belief, or the like.

  3. Anthropology. (no longer in technical use) the persistence of a cultural trait, practice, or the like long after it has lost its original meaning or usefulness.

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or for use in surviving, especially under adverse or unusual circumstances.

    survival techniques.
survival British  
/ səˈvaɪvəl /

noun

  1. a person or thing that survives, such as a custom

    1. the act or fact of surviving or condition of having survived

    2. ( as modifier )

      survival kit
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonsurvival noun

Etymology

Origin of survival

First recorded in 1590–1600; survive + -al 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He leaves behind a system with no obvious successor, largely by design, and an Islamic Republic in a fight for survival.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the huge security apparatus they oversaw to ensure the regime’s survival is still intact.

From The Wall Street Journal

For a few seconds, Burnley fans were celebrating what looked like being one of the Premier League's greatest ever comebacks - and new hope of a miraculous survival.

From BBC

No matter who emerges, their overriding goal will remain the same - the survival of an order that keeps the clerics and its powerful security forces in power.

From BBC

Khamenei knew how to strike a balance to ensure his political survival.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.