Meaning & use
persists
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“persists” is a form of “persist”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Continues to exist or happen, especially for longer than expected or wanted.
Grammar: No object; often followed by a time phrase: the fog persists until noon.
Patterns
- something persists
- something persists for a period
If the pain persists, you should see a doctor.
The rumor persists even though the company has denied it many times.
A strong smell of smoke persists in the hallway.
verbintransitive
Keeps doing something firmly, despite difficulty, opposition or advice to stop.
Grammar: Usually followed by in or with plus an activity: she persists in asking.
Patterns
- someone persists in doing something
- someone persists with something
He persists in calling her at work, although she has asked him not to.
She persists with her training even when the weather is awful.
Whenever a problem comes up, our teacher persists until everyone understands.
Word forms
| base form | persist |
|---|---|
| past tense | persisted |
| -ing form | persisting |
Common combinations
- symptoms persist
- If your symptoms persist for more than a week, call the clinic.
- persists in doing
- The child persists in asking the same question.
- persists despite
- The shortage persists despite new supplies arriving.
- persists for years
- The problem persists for years if nobody fixes it.
- persists with
- He persists with the old method because it works for him.
Synonyms and how they differ
- continues
- Continues is neutral and simply means going on, while persists suggests going on against expectation or resistance.
- lasts
- Lasts focuses on duration, whereas persists implies something is still there when it should have gone.
- perseveres
- Perseveres is nearly always positive and describes determined effort, while persists can sound stubborn or annoying.
- insists
- Insists is about stating a demand or claim firmly, while persists is about continuing an action or situation.
Opposites
Word family
- persistence noun
- the quality of continuing firmly despite difficulty
- persistent adjective
- continuing for a long time or refusing to give up
- persistently adverb
- in a way that continues or repeats without stopping
- persisted verb
- past form of persist
Commonly confused: persists or insists? persists or perseveres?
persists vs insists
Insists means demands or says something very firmly; persists means keeps going. She insists on paying, but the rain persists.
persists vs perseveres
Perseveres is about admirable effort toward a goal; persists is broader and can describe a problem that simply will not go away.
Practice
Choose the best word: 'The cough ____ even after he took the medicine.'
Choose one answer.
Persists means continues despite expectation. Insists needs a demand, resists means fights against, and consists needs 'of'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “persists”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.