Words / B2

owt-LIV/ˌaʊtˈlɪv/

To outlive is to live longer than someone or something, or to survive past a use: outlive a rival; outlive its usefulness. Survive is wider; outlast is a close twin. The clause outlived the project it funded. Mix-up: outline; live out (to experience). Do not write outlive for “live outside the city”.

Meaning

To live longer than someone or something, or to survive past a use.

Examples

• “The clause outlived the project it funded, the audit noted.”
• “She outlived the other witnesses, which is the lifespan sense in the source.”

Good to know

outlive + person / thing; outlive its usefulness. Close: outlast / survive. Trap: outline / live out. History, evaluations, and news. Last longer than, not “dwell outdoors”.

Near in meaning

outlast

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