Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To be obstinately repetitious, insistent, or tenacious.
- intransitive verb To hold firmly and steadfastly to a purpose, state, or undertaking despite obstacles, warnings, or setbacks.
- intransitive verb To continue in existence; last.
from The Century Dictionary.
- 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.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb 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.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb intransitive To go on stubbornly or resolutely.
- verb intransitive To repeat an utterance.
- verb intransitive To
continue toexist . - verb computing, transitive To cause to persist; make permanent.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb stay behind
- verb continue to exist
- verb be persistent, refuse to stop
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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"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 George Gordon Byron Byron 1806
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Of course, the primary reason for why conspiracy theories persist is simple human nature.
The Persistence of Conspiracy | Heretical Ideas Magazine 2009
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In some people, fairly large percentages of fetal hemoglobin persist into adulthood.
Sickle cell disease research at The Children's Hospital 2010
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But the idea that we can afford to let this downward spiral persist is a big fat “No Way José.”
Godzilla Japanese | SciFi, Fantasy & Horror Collectibles 2009
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And a key reason some minority college students don't persist is because "they're simply running out of money."
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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.
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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.
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Such is the manner wherein persist these poor little bodies:
Psalms of the Sisters Caroline Augusta Foley Rhys 1909
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There must really be some more substantial difference than this between classic and romantic, for the terms persist and are found useful.
A History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century 1886
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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 2010
bilby commented on the word persist
"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.
October 16, 2008