exist
/ɪɡˈzɪst
/ /ɛɡˈzɪst/verb [no object]
1Have objective reality or being: dossiers existed on almost everyone of prominence there existed no organization to cope with espionage...
- In other words, knowledge is always of a reality that exists independently of knowers and perceivers.
- According to one physicist reality only exists because we think it does.
- Again, it is surprising that the most attractive faces do not even exist in reality.
Synonyms
live, be alive, be living, have life, breathe, draw breath;
be, have being, have existence, be extant
1.1Occur or be found, especially in a particular place or situation: two conflicting stereotypes of housework exist in popular thinking...
- This is the situation that exists between Hawaii and the continental United States.
- A similar situation exists in the amount of traffic trying to use York.
- Lastly, we cannot ignore the tensions in the Gulf, where a warlike situation exists.
Synonyms
prevail, occur, be found, be met with, be in existence;
remain, obtain, continue, last, endure;
be the case
2Live, especially under adverse conditions: a minority of people exist on unemployment benefit alone how am I going to exist without you?...
- I don't want you to get the idea that I exist on takeaways and ready meals, because I don't.
- We exist on donations and all volunteers are drawn mainly from local churches.
- Are we making it so easy for them to exist on begging that they feel no need to do any work?
Synonyms
survive, subsist, live, stay alive, support oneself, eke out a living, eke out an existence;
manage, make do, keep going, struggle along, scrape by, keep one's head above water, make ends meet
informal get by, keep the wolf from the door
Origin
Early 17th century: probably a back-formation from existence.
consist from Late Middle English:
Fron Latin consistere ‘stand firm or still, exist’, sistere ‘set, stand (still), stop’, also the source of assist (Late Middle English) originally ‘take your stand’; desist (Late Middle English) ‘stand down, stop’; exist (early 17th century) ‘come into being’, literally ‘stand out’; insist (late 16th century) ‘stand upon [an argument]’; and resist (Late Middle English) ‘stand back or against’.