exist
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ex·ist
(ĭg-zĭst′)intr.v. ex·ist·ed, ex·ist·ing, ex·ists
1. To have actual being; be real.
2. To have life; live: one of the worst actors that ever existed.
3. To live at a minimal level; subsist: barely enough income on which to exist.
4. To continue to be; persist: old customs that still exist in rural areas.
5. To be present under certain circumstances or in a specified place; occur: "Wealth and poverty exist in every demographic category" (Thomas G. Exter).
[Latin existere, exsistere, to come forth, be manifest : ex-, ex- + sistere, to stand; see stā- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
exist
(ɪɡˈzɪst)vb (intr)
1. to have being or reality; to be
2. to eke out a living; stay alive; survive: I can barely exist on this wage.
3. to be living; live
4. to be present under specified conditions or in a specified place: sharks exist in the Pacific.
5. (Philosophy) philosophy
a. to be actual rather than merely possible
b. to be a member of the domain of some theory, an element of some possible world, etc
c. to have contingent being while free, responsible, and aware of one's situation
[C17: from Latin exsistere to step forth, from ex-1 + sistere to stand]
exˈisting adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ex•ist
(ɪgˈzɪst)v.i.
1. to have actual being; be.
2. to have life or animation; live.
3. to continue to be or live: Belief in magic still exists.
4. to have being in a specified place or under certain conditions; be found; occur.
5. to achieve the basic needs of existence, as food and shelter.
[1595–1605; < Latin ex(s)istere to appear, emerge]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
exist
If something exists, it is actually present in the world.
It is clear that a serious problem exists.
They walked through my office as if I didn't exist.
When exist has this meaning, don't use it in a progressive form. Don't say, for example, 'It is clear that a serious problem is existing'.
You also use exist to say that someone manages to live under difficult conditions or with very little food or money.
How can we exist out here?
The whole band exist on a diet of chocolate and crisps.
When exist has this meaning, it can be used in a progressive form.
People were existing on a hundred grams of bread a day.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
exist
Past participle: existed
Gerund: existing
| Imperative |
|---|
| exist |
| exist |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | exist - have an existence, be extant; "Is there a God?" come - be found or available; "These shoes come in three colors; The furniture comes unassembled" preexist - exist beforehand or prior to a certain point in time; "Did this condition pre-exist?" kick about, kick around, knock about - be around; be alive or active; "Does the old man still kick around?" coexist - exist together indwell - to exist as an inner activating spirit, force, or principle consist, lie in, dwell, lie - originate (in); "The problems dwell in the social injustices in this country" endanger, imperil, jeopardise, jeopardize, menace, peril, threaten - pose a threat to; present a danger to; "The pollution is endangering the crops" flow - be abundantly present; "The champagne flowed at the wedding" distribute - be distributed or spread, as in statistical analyses; "Values distribute" |
| 2. | exist - support oneself; "he could barely exist on such a low wage"; "Can you live on $2000 a month in New York City?"; "Many people in the world have to subsist on $1 a day" breathe - be alive; "Every creature that breathes" freewheel, drift - live unhurriedly, irresponsibly, or freely; "My son drifted around for years in California before going to law school" live on, survive, last, live, endure, hold out, hold up, go - continue to live through hardship or adversity; "We went without water and food for 3 days"; "These superstitions survive in the backwaters of America"; "The race car driver lived through several very serious accidents"; "how long can a person last without food and water?" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
exist
verb
1. live, be present, be living, last, survive, breathe, endure, be in existence, be, be extant, have breath Many people believe that the Loch Ness Monster does exist.
2. occur, happen, stand, remain, obtain, be present, prevail, abide the social climate which existed 20 years ago
3. survive, stay alive, make ends meet, subsist, eke out a living, scrape by, scrimp and save, support yourself, keep your head above water, get along or by the problems of having to exist on unemployment benefit
Usage: Although be extant is given as a synonym of exist, according to some, extant should properly only be used where there is a connotation of survival, often against all odds: the oldest extant document dates from 1492. Using extant where the phrase in existence can be substituted, would on this view be incorrect: in existence (not extant) for nearly 15 years, they have been consistently one of the finest rock bands on the planet. In practice, however, the distinct meanings of the two phrases often overlap: these beasts, the largest primates on the planet and the greatest of the great apes, are man's closest living relatives and the only extant primates with which we share close physical characteristics.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
exist
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَعيشيَنْوَجِدُ ،يَتَواجَد، يَكون مَوجوداًيوجدُ
existovat
eksisterefindesoverleve
ekzisti
olla olemassaolla
postojatibivstvovatiegzistiratiopstojati
éllétezikmegélvan
lifavera til
存在する
존재하다
existereexsistere
buvimasegzistuotigyvenimas
eksistēt, būteksistēt, izdzīvot
existovať
obstajatiživeti
existera
มีอยู่จริง
var olmakvaroluşhayatta kalmak
tồn tại
exist
[ɪgˈzɪst] VI1. (= live) → vivir; (= survive) → subsistir
I just existed from one visit to the next → de una visita a la otra me limitaba a sobrevivir
to exist on very little money → vivir or subsistir con muy poco dinero
you can't exist on packet soup! → no puedes vivir sólo a base de sopa de sobre
I just existed from one visit to the next → de una visita a la otra me limitaba a sobrevivir
to exist on very little money → vivir or subsistir con muy poco dinero
you can't exist on packet soup! → no puedes vivir sólo a base de sopa de sobre
2. (= occur, be in existence) → existir
it only exists in her imagination → sólo existe en su imaginación
there exists a possibility that or the possibility exists that she is still alive → existe la posibilidad de que siga con vida
I want to live, not just exist → quiero vivir, no simplemente existir
to cease to exist → dejar de existir
to continue to exist [situation, conditions, doubt] → persistir; [institution, person] (after death) → seguir existiendo
it only exists in her imagination → sólo existe en su imaginación
there exists a possibility that or the possibility exists that she is still alive → existe la posibilidad de que siga con vida
I want to live, not just exist → quiero vivir, no simplemente existir
to cease to exist → dejar de existir
to continue to exist [situation, conditions, doubt] → persistir; [institution, person] (after death) → seguir existiendo
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
exist
vi
(= to be) → existieren, bestehen; does God exist? → existiert Gott?; everything that exists → alles, was ist or existiert; it only exists in her imagination → das gibt es or das existiert nur in ihrer Fantasie; I want to live, not just exist → ich möchte leben, nicht einfach nur existieren; it doesn’t exist → das gibt es nicht; to cease to exist → zu bestehen aufhören; to continue to exist → fortbestehen, weiter bestehen; doubts still exist → noch bestehen Zweifel; the understanding which exists between the two countries → das Einvernehmen zwischen den beiden Ländern; there exist many people who … → es gibt viele Leute, die …; there exists a tradition that … → es gibt den Brauch, dass …; there exists the possibility or the possibility exists that … → es besteht die Möglichkeit, dass …
(= live) → existieren, leben (on von); we cannot exist without water → wir können ohne Wasser nicht leben or existieren; can life exist on Mars? → kann auf dem Mars Leben existieren?; she exists on very little → sie kommt mit sehr wenig aus; is it possible to exist on such a small salary? → kann man denn von so einem kleinen Gehalt leben?
(= be found) → vorkommen; the natural resources which exist in the Antarctic → die Bodenschätze, die in der Antarktis vorkommen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
exist
[ɪgˈzɪst] viCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
exist
(igˈzist) verb1. to be something real or actual. Do ghosts really exist?
2. to stay alive; to continue to live. It is possible to exist on bread and water.
exˈistence noun1. the state of existing. He does not believe in the existence of God; How long has this rule been in existence?
2. (a way of) life. an uneventful existence.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
exist
→ يوجدُ existovat eksistere existieren υπάρχω existir olla olemassa exister postojati esistere 存在する 존재하다 bestaan eksistere zaistnieć existir существовать existera มีอยู่จริง var olmak tồn tại 存在Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
exist
vi. existir, ser, vivir; subsistir.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012