To outlive someone or something means to live longer than they do. When your great-grandmother outlived her husband by twenty years, she continued living two decades after he died. When a sturdy oak tree outlives the person who planted it, the tree is still standing long after that person has passed away.

The word works for things beyond just people and living creatures. A well-built stone bridge might outlive the wooden ones built at the same time. A classic book can outlive its author by centuries, still being read generations later. Your favorite pair of boots might outlive three pairs of sneakers because they're built to last.

Sometimes people use outlive when talking about ideas or usefulness. A technology can outlive its usefulness when it becomes outdated, like how typewriters outlived their usefulness once computers became common. This means the thing lasted longer than it was actually needed or valuable.

When something outlives expectations, it lasts longer than anyone thought it would.