Survive/sərˈvaɪv/ Definition 1 of 4Pro Tip 1/3Challenging Circumstances Use 'survive' to describe enduring tough or extreme situations. Many plants can survive even in the driest deserts. Pro Tip 2/3Minimal Existence 'Survive' implies managing with just the basics to continue living. After the storm, we survived on canned food for days. Pro Tip 3/3Descriptive Emphasis Adding 'barely' before 'survive' stresses the difficulty faced. The castaways barely survived on the isolated island.