Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense exists, present participle existing, past tense, past participle existed
1. verb [no cont]
If something exists, it is present in the world as a real thing.
He thought that if he couldn't see something, it didn't exist. [VERB]
Research opportunities exist in a wide range of pure and applied areas of entomology. [VERB]
2. verb
To exist means to live, especially under difficult conditions or with very little food or money.
I exist from one visit to the next. [VERB]
I was barely existing. [VERB]
...the problems of having to exist on unemployment benefit. [VERB + on]
Synonyms: survive, stay alive, make ends meet, subsist More Synonyms of exist
More Synonyms of exist
exist in British English
(ɪɡˈzɪst)
verb(intransitive)
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
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
Derived forms
existing (exˈisting)
adjective
Word origin
C17: from Latin exsistere to step forth, from ex-1 + sistere to stand
exist in American English
(ɛgˈzɪst; ɪgˈzɪst)
verb intransitive
1.
to have reality or actual being; be
2.
to occur or be present
the qualities that exist in a person
3.
to continue being; live
the refugees barely exist
Word origin
Fr exister < L existere, exsistere, to come forth, stand forth < ex-, out + sistere, to cause to stand, set, place, caus. of stare, stand
Examples of 'exist' in a sentence
exist
This could be done by building another viaduct alongside the existing one.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
All planned cycle lanes should be halted and existing ones torn up.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Normally a prospective member needs to be supported by four existing members to be considered.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Apprenticeships in the creative and cultural industries barely existed a decade ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Making a success of Brexit involves both forging new links and strengthening existing ones.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I am afraid that no such outcome exists that will benefit either side.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They could often only be justified as part of a new hospital, rather than an addition to an existing one.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Today these restraints barely exist.
The Sun (2016)
This one only exists thanks to the Sultan's love of music.
The Sun (2016)
That one exists just like ET.
The Sun (2016)
Most can barely exist to the end of the month.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Will the new model be as well received as the existing one?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Existing members just need to visit the website.
The Sun (2013)
What benefits exist to support a healthy workforce?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
This new section exists because the world has turned digital.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
We have looked at social problems and services mainly as they exist at the present.
Brown, Muriel & Payne Sarah Introduction to Social Administration in Britain (1990)
It would certainly make a great deal more sense than the existing one.
Rutherford, Ward Celtic Mythology (1987)
Not all existing benefits will be wrapped up into it.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The world that had existed for a whole year really disappeared.
Greeley, Andrew M. Sociology and Religion: A Collection of Readings (1995)
Are the inhabitants of the past just as real as anything that exists in the present?
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
It is different because it exists for one sole purpose.
The Sun (2014)
The business world would not exist without these people.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The system is so ridiculously simple you will be wondering why it does not exist where you live.
The Sun (2013)
But right now they barely exist.
Salkie, Raphael The Chomsky Update - Linguistics and Politics (1990)
No such plans exist at present.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Twenty years ago, they barely existed.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
You must give an existing member 's name to prove that you can be trusted.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The hosts' continuity of play barely existed.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Yet the existing studies live in constant fear of being wound up, and are always a grant application away from closure.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You'll merely exist, not live.
Kiam, Victor Going For It!: How to Succeed As an Entrepreneur (1986)
We want a place where we don't just exist - we live.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
exist
British English: exist /ɪɡˈzɪst/ VERB
If something exists, it is present in the world as a real thing.
He thought that if he couldn't see something, it didn't exist.
American English: exist
Arabic: يوجدُ
Brazilian Portuguese: existir
Chinese: 存在
Croatian: postojati
Czech: existovat
Danish: eksistere
Dutch: bestaan
European Spanish: existir
Finnish: olla olemassa
French: exister
German: existieren
Greek: υπάρχω
Italian: esistere
Japanese: 存在する
Korean: 존재하다
Norwegian: eksistere
Polish: zaistnieć
European Portuguese: existir
Romanian: a exista
Russian: существовать
Latin American Spanish: existir
Swedish: existera
Thai: มีอยู่จริง
Turkish: var olmak
Ukrainian: існувати
Vietnamese: tồn tại
Chinese translation of 'exist'
exist
(ɪɡˈzɪst)
vi
(= be present) 存在 (cúnzài)
(= live, subsist) 生存 (shēngcún)
to exist on sth靠某物生存 (kào mǒuwù shēngcún)
1 (verb)
Definition
to be living
Many people believe that the Loch Ness Monster does exist.
Synonyms
live
He's got a terrible disease and will not live long.
be present
be living
last
You only need a very small amount, so the tube lasts for ages.
survive
Drugs that dissolve blood clots can help heart-attack victims survive.
breathe
endure
Somehow the language endures and continues to survive to this day.
be in existence
be
It hurt so badly he wished to cease to be.
be extant
have breath
2 (verb)
Definition
to be present under specified conditions or in a specified place
the social climate which existed 20 years ago
Synonyms
occur
The disease occurs in areas with little access to clean water.
happen
We cannot say for sure what will happen.
stand
The supreme court says the convictions still stand.
remain
The three men remained silent.
obtain (formal)
The longer this situation obtains, the bigger the problems will be.
be present
prevail
abide
I can't abide people who can't make up their minds.
3 (verb)
Definition
to only just be able to keep oneself alive, esp. because of poverty or hunger
the problems of having to exist on unemployment benefit
Synonyms
survive
stay alive
make ends meet
Even with Betty's salary, they could barely make ends meet.
subsist
Almost every employee must moonlight simply to subsist.
eke out a living
people trying to eke out a living in forest areas
scrape by
We're barely scraping by on my salary.
scrimp and save
support yourself
keep your head above water
get along or by
Usage note
Although be extant is given as a synonym of exist, according to some, extant should properly be used only 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 in 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.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abide
Definition
to tolerate
I can't abide people who can't make up their minds.
Synonyms
tolerate,
suffer,
accept,
bear,
endure,
brook,
hack (slang),
put up with,
submit to,
take,
stand,
stomach,
thole (Scottish)
in the sense of be
Definition
to exist
It hurt so badly he wished to cease to be.
Synonyms
be alive,
live,
exist,
survive,
breathe,
last,
be present,
continue,
endure,
be living,
be extant,
happen
in the sense of eke out a living
Definition
to manage to sustain (a living) despite having barely enough food or money