Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To be obstinately repetitious, insistent, or tenacious.
- v. To hold firmly and steadfastly to a purpose, state, or undertaking despite obstacles, warnings, or setbacks.
- v. To continue in existence; last: hostilities that have persisted for years.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To continue steadily and firmly in some state, course of action, or pursuit, especially in spite of opposition, remonstrance, etc.; persevere, especially with some degree of obstinacy.
Wiktionary
- v. intransitive To go on stubbornly or resolutely.
- v. intransitive To repeat an utterance.
- v. intransitive To continue to exist.
- v. computing, transitive To cause to persist; make permanent.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To stand firm; to be fixed and unmoved; to stay; to continue steadfastly; especially, to continue fixed in a course of conduct against opposing motives; to persevere; -- sometimes conveying an unfavorable notion, as of doggedness or obstinacy.
WordNet 3.0
- v. stay behind
- v. continue to exist
- v. be persistent, refuse to stop
Etymologies
- Latin persistere : per-, per- + sistere, to stand. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“If Harris or Elliston persist, after the remonstrance which I desired you and Mr. Kinnaird to make on my behalf, and which I hope will be sufficient -- but _if_, I say, they _do persist_, then I pray you to _present in person_ the enclosed letter to the Lord”
Life of Lord Byron, Vol. 5 (of 6) With His Letters and Journals
“In some people, fairly large percentages of fetal hemoglobin persist into adulthood.”
“But the idea that we can afford to let this downward spiral persist is a big fat “No Way José.””
“Of course, the primary reason for why conspiracy theories persist is simple human nature.”
“And a key reason some minority college students don't persist is because "they're simply running out of money.”
“What does persist is the belief that Israel is basically a proxy for the United States, that Israel's power is a direct product of American power.”
“Such is the manner wherein persist these poor little bodies:”
“There must really be some more substantial difference than this between classic and romantic, for the terms persist and are found useful.”
“Spanish austerity measures * Euro loses bid as doubts on long term persist *”
WN.com - Articles related to Europe banks slide on Greek woes, U.S. probes
“It may be that Terence's suggested application can have a single title persist over multiple slides and transitions.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘persist’.
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1100
abound, technology, branch of knowled..., prognosticate, automaton, matron, an older married ..., realm, special field of ..., kingdom, annals, historical records and 981 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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EN - academic vocabulary
Use these and get promoted
abandon, abandonment, abnormally, abstract, abstraction, abstractly, abstracts, academia, academic, academically, academics, academies and 3119 more...
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Stick Around
annotine, lasting, durable, everlasting, permanence, stable, abiding, immortal, hibernaculum, continual, dwelling-place, abiding-place and 57 more...
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sistrurus
pygmy rattlers (do you feel shaken?)
resistor, transistor, sister, assist, Pisistratus, unsisting, persist, consist, insist, insistence, discursist, irresistible and 45 more...
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GRE Readings
sophistry, religious, venture, touching, slander, rotunda, singular, spurious, rhetoric, virtue, temper, tardy and 133 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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zanshin's Words
gargoyle, ennui, paradigm, aardvark, verisimilitude, ghoti, tenacity, nescience, guillemet, squonk, maven, moxie and 210 more...
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Remain
Verbs meaning remain.
permane, persist, continue, endure, persevere, last, survive
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Basic English Vocabulary
Very basic words for ESL students.
a, abandon, ability, able, abortion, about, above, abroad, absence, absolute, absolutely, absorb and 4334 more...
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my dictionary
able, abnormally, abroad, absent, abstract, acceptable, acceptance, access, accessible, accession, according to, account and 4551 more...
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Words of Standing
steed, stool, estancia, stage, stance, staunch, stanch, stanchion, stanza, stative, stator, stay and 180 more...
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ash
ash
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure and 4874 more...
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WordMasters 6th grade-Set 1
portent, subside, picturesque, renown, brandish, insipid, gist, festoon, chronic, hurdle, pilfer, versatile and 12 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for persist.
bilby "I do dimly perceive that whilst everything around me is ever changing, ever dying, there is underlying all that change a living power that is changeless, that holds all together,that creates, dissolves, and re-creates. That informing power or spirit is God.
And since nothing else that I see merely through the senses can or will persist, God alone is.
And is this power benevolent or malevolent? I see it as purely benevolent. For I can see that in the midst of death life persists, in the midst of untruth truth persists, in the midst of darkness light persists.
- Mahatma Gandhi. Oct 16, 2008