If something exists, it is actually present in the world.
When exist has this meaning, don't use it in a progressive form. Don't say, for example, 'It is clear that a serious problem is existing'.
You also use exist to say that someone manages to live under difficult conditions or with very little food or money.
When exist has this meaning, it can be used in a progressive form.
| Imperative |
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| exist |
| exist |
| Verb | 1. | exist - have an existence, be extant; "Is there a God?" come - be found or available; "These shoes come in three colors; The furniture comes unassembled" preexist - exist beforehand or prior to a certain point in time; "Did this condition pre-exist?" kick about, kick around, knock about - be around; be alive or active; "Does the old man still kick around?" coexist - exist together indwell - to exist as an inner activating spirit, force, or principle consist, lie in, dwell, lie - originate (in); "The problems dwell in the social injustices in this country" endanger, imperil, jeopardise, jeopardize, menace, peril, threaten - pose a threat to; present a danger to; "The pollution is endangering the crops" flow - be abundantly present; "The champagne flowed at the wedding" distribute - be distributed or spread, as in statistical analyses; "Values distribute" |
| 2. | exist - support oneself; "he could barely exist on such a low wage"; "Can you live on $2000 a month in New York City?"; "Many people in the world have to subsist on $1 a day" breathe - be alive; "Every creature that breathes" freewheel, drift - live unhurriedly, irresponsibly, or freely; "My son drifted around for years in California before going to law school" live on, survive, last, live, endure, hold out, hold up, go - continue to live through hardship or adversity; "We went without water and food for 3 days"; "These superstitions survive in the backwaters of America"; "The race car driver lived through several very serious accidents"; "how long can a person last without food and water?" |