A survivor is someone who lives through a dangerous, difficult, or life-threatening situation. When a ship sinks in the ocean, the survivors are the people who make it safely to shore or are rescued from the water. After a tornado destroys buildings in a town, survivors are those who came through the disaster alive.

The word carries a sense of perseverance and strength. Survivors don't just passively make it through: they may have to struggle, adapt, and refuse to give up. A cancer survivor is someone who fought the disease and recovered. A shipwreck survivor might have clung to floating debris for hours before being rescued.

People also use survivor to describe anyone who endures ongoing hardship. Someone might call themselves a survivor of a difficult childhood or a natural disaster, meaning they lived through it and carried on despite the trauma.

In popular culture, reality TV shows use the word differently: contestants on shows like Survivor compete in challenges and try to avoid elimination, though their lives aren't actually in danger. The name plays on the idea of overcoming obstacles and outlasting others.

When you call someone a survivor, you're recognizing their resilience and toughness. They faced something that could have defeated them, but they made it through.