INDEX:
1. to not die in spite of an accident, illness, or war
2. when something continues to exist in spite of difficulties
3. to continue to live your normal life in spite of problems
4. to continue to live a normal life even though you have very little money
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ ALIVE
↑ ACCIDENT
↑ ILLNESS/DISEASE
↑ WAR
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1. to not die in spite of an accident, illness, or war
▷ survive /səʳˈvaɪv/ [intransitive/transitive verb not in passive]
▪ Only 12 of the 140 passengers on the plane survived.
▪ Doctors predicted that the baby would not survive with such severe disabilities.
▪ My grandmother wouldn’t survive another operation.
▪ Not many of the insects survive the winter.
survival [uncountable noun]
▪ Chemical pollution is threatening the survival of many species of wildlife.
▷ survivor /səʳˈvaɪvəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who has survived an accident, war, illness etc :
▪ So far rescue workers have found no sign of any survivors.
▪ Survivors of the accident were rushed to the nearest hospital.
sole survivor
the only survivor
▪ An eight-month-old baby girl was the sole survivor of a car crash that killed both her parents.
▷ stay alive /ˌsteɪ əˈlaɪv/ [verb phrase]
to continue to live and not die when you are in a very dangerous situation, for example in a war or when you have very little food :
▪ They managed to stay alive by eating roots and berries.
▪ We had to ignore the terrible things going on around us, and just concentrate on staying alive.
▷ pull through /ˌpʊl ˈθruː/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to survive and get better after having a very serious illness or injury :
▪ I was so ill that the doctors weren’t sure if I was going to pull through.
▪ The first few days after the accident were awful, and everyone was just praying he’d pull through.
▷ escape /ɪˈskeɪp/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to survive after being involved in a serious accident, especially because of good luck :
▪ The driver was killed but his passenger escaped with only a few scratches.
escape injury/death etc
▪ The family escaped injury when a fire gutted their two-bedroom apartment.
narrowly escape
only just escape
▪ The prime minister narrowly escaped a terrorist bomb in 1999.
escape [countable noun]
▪ The fireman said they’d had a very lucky escape.
▷ live /lɪv/ [intransitive verb not in progressive]
if you say that someone will live, you mean that they will survive, even though they have a very serious illness, injury etc :
▪ One of the victims has severe burns and is not expected to live.
live or die
▪ Our baby was in the intensive care unit, and we didn’t know whether she would live or die.
live to tell the tale/live to tell about it
survive a very dangerous experience, so that you are able to tell people about it afterwards
▪ There were ten in the lifeboat, but only three lived to tell the tale.
▷ make it /ˈmeɪk ɪt/ [verb phrase not in progressive] informal
to survive when you are in a very dangerous situation or when you have a very serious illness :
▪ At one point I was so exhausted and weak that I didn’t think I was going to make it.
▪ I was surprised she had made it through the night.
▷ last /lɑːstǁlæst/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
if someone lasts a period of time, they continue to live during that period, even though they have a very serious illness or injury :
▪ His breathing was getting worse and he was not expected to last the night.
▪ It’s amazing that she’s managed to last this long, really.
2. when something continues to exist in spite of difficulties
▷ survive /səʳˈvaɪv/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
▪ Many of the small, independent businesses are struggling to survive.
▪ Only a few of Leonardo’s earlier paintings still survive.
▪ Our friendship has survived the bad times and has grown stronger.
▪ The Cathedral survived repeated bombings during the Second World War.
survival [uncountable noun]
▪ The survival of the president’s plans to cut taxes remains in doubt.
surviving [adjective only before noun]
▪ The museum possesses the only surviving manuscript of Cicero’s letters.
▷ come through /ˌkʌm ˈθruː/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to survive a period of great difficulty :
▪ If we can come through this crisis, the company’s future looks bright.
▪ The German team were in deep trouble at the beginning of the match but in the end they came through.
▷ stay afloat /ˌsteɪ əˈfləʊt/ [verb phrase]
if a company stays afloat, it continues to survive in spite of difficult financial problems that may force it to close :
▪ Ever since we started the business two years ago, we’ve been struggling to stay afloat.
3. to continue to live your normal life in spite of problems
▷ survive /səʳˈvaɪv/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
▪ The program provides homeless kids with the basics they need to survive: food, shelter, and health care.
▪ Liz Taylor has survived several broken marriages, as well as periods of drug and alcohol addiction.
▪ I don’t think I could survive another year as a teacher. It’s just too stressful.
▷ survivor /səʳˈvaɪvəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who is used to dealing with great personal problems and difficulties and is able to survive them :
▪ As more is revealed, the audience begins to see Wendy as a survivor rather than a victim.
a born survivor
someone who seems to have a natural ability to survive difficulties
▪ Although she’s had an extremely hard life, Tina Turner is a born survivor.
▷ come through /ˌkʌm ˈθruː/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to successfully deal with a very difficult problem or experience and be able to continue with your normal life after it :
▪ She’s had problems before and she’s always come through.
▪ Some children come through their parents’ divorcing better than others.
▷ get through /ˌget ˈθruː/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to succeed in reaching the end of a very difficult period or experience :
▪ It was not an easy time for Tracy but her friends helped her get through.
▪ ‘Oh Jane, how will I ever get through this?’ she said, and the tears started flowing again.
4. to continue to live a normal life even though you have very little money
▷ survive /səʳˈvaɪv/ [intransitive verb]
▪ When I look at how much we spend on food, I wonder how unemployed people are able to survive.
survive on £100 a week/a small income etc
▪ It’s really difficult to survive on £120 a week in London.
▪ I don’t know how they expect me to survive on my salary.
▷ get by /ˌget ˈbaɪ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to have enough money to buy the things you need to live :
▪ We don’t have a lot of money to spend on luxuries, but we get by.
get by on $5 a day/a small income etc
▪ When I was at college I used to be able to get by on $20 a week.
▷ live on /ˈlɪv ɒn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if someone lives on a particular amount of money, this is all the money that they have to buy everything that they need :
▪ How much do you need to live on?
▪ $35,000 a year sounds like a lot of money, but it’s scarcely enough to live on in New York.
▷ make ends meet /meɪk ˌendz ˈmiːt/ [verb phrase]
if it is difficult for you to make ends meet, it is difficult for you to pay for the things that you need in order to live :
▪ Old people on pensions are finding it hard to make ends meet.
▪ My mother had to work 12 hours a day in a factory just to make ends meet.
▷ keep your head above water /kiːp jɔːʳ ˌhed əbʌv ˈwɔːtəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to have just enough money to pay your debts or to avoid closing your business :
▪ I’m just a pensioner, trying to keep my head above water.
▪ Schools throughout the county are struggling to keep their heads above water.
▷ subsist on /səbˈsɪst ɒn/ [transitive verb] formal
if someone subsists on a very small amount of money or a very small amount of food, this is all they have to live on :
▪ They subsist on eggs and beans most of the time.
subsist on a dollar a day/a small income etc
▪ The workers are expected to subsist on a dollar a day.
subsistence [adjective]
▪ They live just above subsistence level the lowest amount they need to live .
▷ eke out a living/an existence /ˌiːk aʊt ə ˈlɪvɪŋ, ən ɪgˈzɪst ə ns/ [verb phrase]
to get just enough food or money to live on by doing a particular kind of work :
▪ She eked out a living by selling firewood.
▪ Farmers eked out a primitive existence on the dry, stony land.