From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpersevereper‧se‧vere /ˌpɜːsəˈvɪə $ ˌpɜːrsəˈvɪr/ verb [intransitive] CONTINUE/NOT STOPto continue trying to do something in a very determined way in spite of difficulties – use this to show approval It can be tricky at first, but persevere.persevere with He persevered with his task until he had succeeded in collecting an armful of firewood.persevere in (doing) something She had persevered in her claim for compensation.► see thesaurus at continue —persevering adjective→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
persevere• In spite of his loathing for her, in spite of the wickedness that had taken hold of him, Beth would persevere.• Instead, we keep calm and persevere.• Their switchboard is always jammed, but you can get through if you persevere.• His technique for passing cars was to lay on the horn, swing out into the other lane, and persevere.• He didn't know any English, but he persevered and became a good student.• Stevenson persevered in his efforts to discover what had really happened.• Children today seem less willing to seek out challenges and persevere in the face of adversity.• I made a conscious decision to do more than persevere in the remaining years I have with my voice.• But even if they do persevere, most mums find it difficult to feed their babies in public.• Alvin shook his head in dismay at their performance, but the audience had loved their persevering spirit.• When you emerge from this four-hour movie, somewhat older than before, the satisfaction comes from persevering through the whole thing.• Fortunately, Bohr persevered with his theory, in spite of this falsification.• When a country is able to persevere with reforms, the result can be a return to economic stability.persevere in (doing) something• There seems to be little doubt that work-inhibited students have limited faith in their ability to persevere in academic life.• I can persevere in any definite pursuit.• To persevere in the face of her attachment to Kip seemed immoral, I assured myself.• I made a conscious decision to do more than persevere in the remaining years I have with my voice.Origin persevere (1300-1400) French persévérer, from Latin perseverare, from severus; → SEVERE 