MEANING
To continue or remain despite resistance, interruption, or the passage of time.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- persist in a task
- doubt persists
On the page
Doubt persisted after the documents were returned.
She persisted in the search despite the contradictory accounts.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- persist
- Past tense
- persisted
- Past participle
- persisted
- Present participle
- persisting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- persist
- Present continuous
- am/is/are persisting
- Present perfect
- have/has persisted
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been persisting
- Past
- persisted
- Past continuous
- was/were persisting
- Past perfect
- had persisted
- Past perfect continuous
- had been persisting
- Future
- will persist
- Future continuous
- will be persisting
- Future perfect
- will have persisted
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been persisting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: persist; persists; persisted; persisted; persisting Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: persists.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.