exist

/ɛgˈzɪst/

/ɛgˈzɪst/

Other forms: existing; existed; exists

The verb exist means to live, to have reality. Dodos no longer exist because they were hunted to extinction.

It's not only "live" things that exist. The government exists, as does your fear of heights. Anything that can be acknowledged in the present, exists. Another meaning for the verb exist is to support oneself or survive. If someone doesn't have a job, they may have to exist on unemployment benefits until they find one.

Definitions of exist

1. verb

   have an existence, be extant
   synonyms: be

   types:

   come

   be found or available

   preexist

   exist beforehand or prior to a certain point in time

   kick about, kick around, knock about

   be around; be alive or active

   coexist

   exist together

   indwell

   to exist as an inner activating spirit, force, or principle

   hold, obtain, prevail

   be valid, applicable, or true

   consist, dwell, lie, lie in

   originate (in)

   endanger, imperil, jeopardise, jeopardize, menace, peril, threaten

   pose a threat to; present a danger to

   flow

   be abundantly present

   distribute

   be distributed or spread, as in statistical analyses

   dwell, inhabit

   exist or be situated within

   coexist

   coexist peacefully, as of nations

   co-occur, coincide, cooccur

   go with, fall together
2. verb

   support oneself
   “he could barely exist on such a low wage”

   synonyms: live, subsist, survive

   endure, go, hold out, hold up, last, live, live on, survive

   continue to live through hardship or adversity

   types:

   breathe

   be alive

   drift, freewheel

   live unhurriedly, irresponsibly, or freely