outlive
gb/ˌaʊtlˈɪv/ us/ˌaʊtlˈɪv/
B2
English
túlél
VERB
B2
1
túlél
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone] outlives [someone]
She outlived her husband by nearly twenty years.
Majdnem húsz évvel túlélte a férjét.
Only two of the original band members outlived the others.
Az eredeti zenekari tagok közül csak ketten élték túl a többieket.
Doctors didn’t expect him to outlive his older brother.
Learner examples
My grandmother outlived my grandfather.
A nagymamám túlélte a nagypapámat.
He outlived many of his friends.
Sok barátját túlélte.
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse with outlast; outlive is mainly used for living things and lifespans.
Meaning
live longer than someone
Collocations
outlive your spouse
|outlive your parents
|outlive your children
|outlive his wife
|outlive her husband
|outlive a sibling
|outlive most of your friends
|outlive your contemporaries
|outlive everyone in the family
|outlive your generation
Synonyms
outlast (More general; can be used for things as well as people.)
|
survive (Often focuses on continuing to live after danger, not specifically living longer than someone else.)
Antonyms
predecease (To die before someone else (formal).)
|
die before (Plain-language opposite meaning.)
Themes
people
|life_events
|health
Definition
to live longer than another person
To live longer than another person; to be still alive after they have died.
VERB
B2
2
túlél
B2
Usage pattern:
[something] outlives [something]
Her influence outlived her career and shaped the industry for decades.
Hatása túlélte a pályafutását, és évtizedekre meghatározta az iparágat.
The tradition has outlived the empire that created it.
A hagyomány túlélte az azt létrehozó birodalmat.
Some designs outlive the technology they were built for.
Learner examples
His books outlived him.
Könyvei túlélték őt.
This style will outlive the trend.
Ez a stílus túl fogja élni ezt a trendet.
Common mistake:
Learners may use outlive for any kind of ‘last’; it usually suggests ‘lasting beyond what was expected’ or beyond a related thing (like its creator).
Meaning
last longer than something
Collocations
outlive its creator
|outlive its founder
|outlive its purpose
|outlive a trend
|outlive a fad
|outlive a regime
|outlive the company
|outlive the technology
|outlive the controversy
|outlive the memory of
Synonyms
endure (Emphasizes continuing despite difficulties or time.)
|
last (More neutral and general; less of a comparison.)
|
outlast (Very close in meaning; often used for things and processes.)
Antonyms
fade (To gradually disappear or lose importance.)
|
become obsolete (To stop being useful or relevant (especially for technology or ideas).)
Themes
time
|culture
|society
|business
Definition
to last longer than something else
To continue to exist, be remembered, or remain relevant longer than something else.
VERB
C1
3
túlél
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] outlives [an illness/accident/crisis]
Against all expectations, she outlived the disease by many years.
Minden várakozás ellenére még sok évig élt a betegség után.
Only a few local shops outlived the long recession.
Csak néhány helyi bolt élte túl az elhúzódó recessziót.
He worried he wouldn’t outlive the winter without help.
Learner examples
She outlived her illness.
Túlélte a betegségét.
The small business outlived the crisis.
A kisvállalkozás túlélte a válságot.
Common mistake:
Often sounds more natural with illnesses or crises that were expected to end someone’s life or end a business; otherwise ‘live through’ may be better.
Meaning
survive a dangerous time
Collocations
outlive cancer
|outlive the recession
|outlive the crisis
|outlive the war
|outlive the pandemic
|outlive a serious injury
|outlive a diagnosis
|outlive the downturn
|outlive the famine
|outlive the storm
Synonyms
survive (The most common alternative; less comparative in tone.)
|
live through (Highlights experiencing the period rather than exceeding an expected end point.)
Antonyms
succumb (To die or fail because of an illness, injury, or pressure.)
|
perish (To die (more formal/literary).)
Themes
health
|risk
|daily_life
|business
Definition
to stay alive (or continue) after something very hard or dangerous
To survive and continue living after a dangerous illness, accident, or difficult period that could have caused death or failure.
Grammar
Dictionary form
outlive
IPA
GB/ˌaʊtlˈɪv/
US/ˌaʊtlˈɪv/
Syllables & stress
out - live (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (live)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: outlive
- 3rd Person Singular: outlives
- Present Participle: outliving
- Past: outlived
Word family
Forms
outlives
verb
outliving
verb
outlived
verb
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
lifeless
adjective B2
Expressions
outlive the hype
1/ˌaʊtlˈɪv ðə hˈaɪp/
fixed phrase
remain good after excitement fades
to stay popular after people stop talking about it
Examples
- The game easily outlived the hype and kept a loyal audience for years.
- Many products don’t outlive the hype from their launch.
- The restaurant is busy now, but we’ll see if it outlives the hype.
Learner examples
- The movie outlived the hype.
- This phone may not outlive the hype.
outlive the odds
1/ˌaʊtlˈɪv ðə ˈɑdz/
fixed phrase
survive despite low chances
to survive even when it seemed unlikely
Examples
- He outlived the odds and celebrated his 90th birthday.
- Several patients outlived the odds thanks to early treatment.
- The startup outlived the odds and became profitable in its third year.
Learner examples
- She outlived the odds.
- The company outlived the odds.
outlive your usefulness
1/ˌaʊtlˈɪv jˈʊɹ jˈusfəlnəs/
fixed phrase
no longer be useful
to be old and not useful anymore
Examples
- The old filing system has outlived its usefulness.
- Some rules outlive their usefulness and should be updated.
- He felt the role had outlived his usefulness on the team.
Learner examples
- This app has outlived its usefulness.
- That rule has outlived its usefulness.
outlive your welcome
1/ˌaʊtlˈɪv jˈʊɹ wˈɛlkəm/
fixed phrase
stay too long; become unwanted
to stay too long and make people annoyed
Examples
- We should leave soon—I don’t want to outlive our welcome.
- After a week on their couch, he started to feel he’d outlived his welcome.
- If you keep bringing up that topic, you’ll outlive your welcome here.
Learner examples
- Let’s go. We don’t want to outlive our welcome.
- I think I outlived my welcome at their house.