per ‧ se ‧ vere /ˌpɜːsəˈvɪə, ˌpɜːsɪˈvɪə $ ˌpɜːrsəˈvɪr/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: persévérer , from Latin perseverare , from severus ; ⇨ ↑ severe ]
to continue trying to do something in a very determined way in spite of difficulties – use this to show approval:
It can be tricky at first, but persevere.
persevere with
He persevered with his task until he had succeeded in collecting an armful of firewood.
persevere in (doing) something
She had persevered in her claim for compensation.
—persevering adjective
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THESAURUS
■ to continue doing something
▪ continue to not stop doing something that you are already doing:
We need the money to continue our work.
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They continued arguing for a long time.
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Despite all the warnings, many people continue to smoke.
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Sometimes she just couldn’t see the point of continuing.
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My teacher advised me to continue with my studies.
▪ go on ( also carry on especially British English ) to continue doing something. Go on is less formal than continue , and is the phrase that people usually use in everyday English:
Dan went on talking but she was no longer listening.
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He carried on with his day job.
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Sheehan has carried on with her campaign.
▪ keep (on) doing something [not in progressive] to continue doing something for a long time – especially so that you feel tired or annoyed:
We kept on walking until we got to the top of the hill.
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The man kept staring at me.
▪ persevere /ˌpɜːsəˈvɪə, ˌpɜːsɪˈvɪə $ ˌpɜːrsəˈvɪr/ to continue trying to do something in a very patient and determined way, in spite of difficulties. Persevere sounds rather formal:
He didn’t know any English, but he persevered and became a good student.
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Her health was rapidly declining but she persevered with her duties.
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Stevenson persevered in his efforts to discover what had really happened.
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Children today seem less willing to seek out challenges and persevere in the face of adversity.