Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - exist

(exists, existing, existed) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If something exists, it is present in the world as a real thing. He thought that if he couldn’t see something, it didn’t exist... Research opportunities exist in a wide range of pure and applied areas of entomology... VERB: no cont, V, V 2. To exist means to live, especially under difficult conditions or with very little food or money. I was barely existing. ...the problems of having to exist on unemployment benefit. VERB: V, V on n EXISTENCE (existences) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. The existence of something is the fact that it is present in the world as a real thing. ...the existence of other galaxies... The Congress of People’s Deputies in effect voted itself out of existence... Public worries about accidents are threatening the very existence of the nuclear power industry. N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp 2. You can refer to someone’s way of life as an existence, especially when they live under difficult conditions. You may be stuck with a miserable existence for the rest of your life... N-COUNT: with supp