survivornoun [ C ]
uk/səˈvaɪ.vər/us/sɚˈvaɪ.vɚ/B2 a person who continues to live, despite nearly dying:
He was the sole (= only) survivor of the plane crash.
She's a cancer survivor/a survivor of cancer.
a person who is able to continue living their life successfully despite experiencing difficulties:
He's one of life's survivors.
a survivor of child abuse
US A person's survivors are the members of his or her family who continue to live after he or she has died.
More examples
- One survivor described his torturers as devils incarnate.
- The sole survivor of the accident was found in the water after six hours.
- A ceasefire has been called to allow the survivors to bury their dead.
- The earthquake survivors are in desperate need of help.
- Rescue teams searched among the wreckage for survivors.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Life and living
- alive
- animate
- borrow
- cheat
- cheat death idiom
- co-exist
- hold
- immortal
- inanimate
- last
- last out
- lead 1
- life cycle
- life expectancy
- live out sth
- living
- longevity
- outlive
- subsist
- subsistence
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Experiencing and suffering
Inheriting & bequeathing