survive

survive sur‧vive [səˈvaɪv ǁ sər-] verb [intransitive, transitive]

1. if a business survives, it manages to continue operating, even though it is in a very difficult situation:

• To survive, companies will have to focus on staff development.

• The retailing company is cutting the number of its stores in an effort to survive its severe recessionary problems.

2. if you survive, you continue to live. If you survive someone, you continue to live after they have died:

• Provided her husband survived her by 30 days, he would receive the income from her father's estate.

— surviving adjective [only before a noun] :

• The merger will cost the surviving company $136 million from tax effects.

• He leaves no surviving children.

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survive UK US /səˈvaɪv/ verb [I or T]

► to continue to exist, and not to fail or be destroyed: »

The family is struggling to survive on a very reduced income.

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A large amount of money will have to be injected into the company if it is to survive.

»

The director succeeded in surviving the challenge to his authority.

► INSURANCE, LAW to live longer than someone else: »

If the wife survives the husband, she will be entitled to a share of his pension.

»

The booklet gives details on how to claim benefits for a surviving spouse.