1 coexist | Definition of coexist

coexist

verb
co·​ex·​ist | \ ˌkō-ig-ˈzist How to pronounce coexist (audio) \
coexisted; coexisting; coexists

Definition of coexist

intransitive verb

1 : to exist together or at the same time
2 : to live in peace with each other especially as a matter of policy

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Other Words from coexist

coexistence \ ˌkō-​ig-​ˈzi-​stən(t)s How to pronounce coexistence (audio) \ noun
coexistent \ ˌkō-​ig-​ˈzi-​stənt How to pronounce coexistent (audio) \ adjective

Examples of coexist in a Sentence

The species coexist in the same environment. Can the two countries peacefully coexist?

Recent Examples on the Web

Haile-Selassie thinks that multiple hominin species did coexist between 3 million and 4 million years ago, and not just because of the MRD cranium. Colin Barras, Scientific American, "Rare 3.8 Million-Year-Old Skull Recasts Origins of Iconic “Lucy” Fossil," 29 Aug. 2019 Taking novels for example, there was a period when all the hipsters were into Haruki Murakami, and I was also drawn to his distinctly Japanese way of making beauty and compassion coexist in his literary style. Billboard Japan, Billboard, "Thai Hitmaker Stamp & FIVE NEW OLD's Hiroshi Talk Asian Music Trends: Interview," 16 Aug. 2019 This balances the needs of extraction and agriculture industries with those of conservationists and recreationists, allowing all of those groups to coexist in an arrangement that protects our natural resources for the benefit of future generations. Wes Siler, Outside Online, "The Turmoil at the BLM Is Threatening Public Lands," 30 July 2019 The work turns the insult into an image of strength but still suggests that softness and strength can coexist in the same intellectual plane. Darryl Ratcliff, Dallas News, "Latina artists in Dallas showcase 'were told ‘no,’ and they triumphed anyway’," 25 July 2019 Research has shown that positive and negative emotions and affects can coexist in the brain relatively independently of each other. Rafael Euba, Quartzy, "Why striving for happiness makes people miserable," 23 July 2019 Harden and Westbrook have the two highest usage rates in the history of the league, and now Houston is betting these longtime friends are good enough and close enough to coexist in the same unlikely way Harden and Paul worked for a while. Ben Cohen, WSJ, "Russell Westbrook Plays for the Rockets. Why Not?," 12 July 2019 And their images show how joy and hardship can coexist in a sweltering world. Brian Resnick, Vox, "How lemurs (and humans) are cooling off in Europe’s record heat wave," 27 June 2019 Somehow, this kind of rigorous, thoughtful probing still manages to coexist in perfect harmony with the show’s barbed sense of humor, an incongruence that Streep, in particular, seems to relish. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Family Values of Big Little Lies," 7 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coexist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of coexist

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for coexist

coexist

verb

English Language Learners Definition of coexist

: to exist together or at the same time
: to live in peace with each other

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More from Merriam-Webster on coexist

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with coexist

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for coexist

Spanish Central: Translation of coexist

Nglish: Translation of coexist for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of coexist for Arabic Speakers