survive
gb/sɚvˈaɪv/ us/sɚvˈaɪv/
A2
English
~ 1400
túlél, életben marad, fennmarad, átvészel, utána marad
VERB
A2
1
túlél
B1
Usage pattern:
to survive [an accident / a war / an illness]
She survived the car crash with only minor injuries.
Csak kisebb sérülésekkel élte túl az autóbalesetet.
Only a few animals survived the harsh winter.
Csak néhány állat élte túl a kemény telet.
He survived the surgery and made a full recovery.
The hikers survived by finding shelter and water.
Many people did not survive the earthquake.
Learner examples
She survived the fire.
Túlélte a tüzet.
He survived the storm.
Túlélte a vihart.
We survived the trip through the desert.
The dog survived the cold night.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'survive' with 'live', but 'survive' usually refers to continuing to live after a dangerous or life-threatening situation.
Meaning
Continue living after danger
Collocations
survive an accident
|survive a war
|survive an illness
|barely survive
|manage to survive
Synonyms
endure (Implies lasting through hardship but not necessarily life-threatening situations.)
|
outlive (Focuses on living longer than someone else, not necessarily surviving danger.)
Antonyms
perish (Means to die, especially in a violent or untimely way.)
Themes
daily life
|health
|safety
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To stay alive after something very dangerous or difficult happens.
To remain alive after an event, accident, or period that could have caused death.
VERB
B1
2
Usage pattern:
to survive [a crisis / a recession / changes]
The company survived the economic downturn.
A vállalat túlélte a gazdasági visszaesést.
Her reputation survived the scandal.
A hírneve túlélte a botrányt.
The tradition has survived for hundreds of years.
The old theater barely survived the renovation process.
Learner examples
The shop survived the bad year.
A bolt túlélte a rossz évet.
The team survived the hard season.
A csapat túlélte a nehéz szezont.
The school survived many changes.
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse this meaning for personal situations where 'cope' might be more natural.
Meaning
Continue existing after hardship
Collocations
survive a crisis
|survive a recession
|survive a challenge
|survive competition
Synonyms
persist (Emphasizes continuing despite obstacles, not necessarily survival in a life-or-death sense.)
|
endure (Stresses lasting through difficulties over time.)
Antonyms
collapse (Means to fail completely or stop functioning.)
Themes
business
|society
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Definition
To keep going or stay in use after hard times or changes.
To continue to exist, be used, or be successful after experiencing problems or changes that could have ended it.
VERB
B2
3
túlél
B1
utána marad
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone] survives [someone else]
She survived her husband by 20 years.
Húsz évvel élte túl a férjét.
He is survived by two sons and three daughters.
Két fia és három lánya gyászolja.
My grandmother survived all of her siblings.
Learner examples
She survived her father.
Túlélte az apját.
He is survived by his wife.
A felesége gyászolja.
My uncle survived his brother.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with 'miss' or 'mourn', but it refers only to living longer, not emotional reaction.
Meaning
Live longer than someone else
Collocations
survive a spouse
|survive a parent
Synonyms
outlive (A direct equivalent; slightly more formal.)
Antonyms
predecease (A formal term meaning to die before someone else.)
Themes
family
|life
|core_vocabulary
|relationships
Definition
To be alive after another person dies.
To continue to live after another person has died.
Grammar
Dictionary form
survive
IPA
GB/sɚvˈaɪv/
US/sɚvˈaɪv/
Syllables & stress
sur - vive (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (sur)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: survive
- 3rd Person Singular: survives
- Present Participle: surviving
- Past: survived
Word family
Expressions
survive on
1/sɚvˈaɪv ˈɔn/
phrasal verb
Live using limited resources
To stay alive or continue existing using only a small amount of something like food, money, or help.
Examples
- They had to survive on bread and water for days.
- Many students survive on instant noodles during exams.
survive without
1/sɚvˈaɪv wɪðˈaʊt/
fixed phrase
Live without something important
To keep living or working even though you do not have something you normally need or want.
Examples
- I can’t imagine how people survived without the internet before.
- She learned to survive without her phone while traveling abroad.