Online OXFORD Collocation Dictionary

existence noun

¹ state of existing

ADJ. actual, real El Cid's actual existence is not in doubt. Since her illness, other people had become shadowy and had no real existence for her. | brief | continued, future | very The peasants depend on a good harvest for their very existence (= in order to continue to live). | mere The mere existence of these strange creatures fascinated him. | autonomous, independent, separate any organism capable of independent existence | human the mystery of human existence | material, physical | social

VERB + EXISTENCE be in The idea of God in nature has been in existence for as long as human beings have worshipped. | come into, spring into The organization came into existence ten years ago. What are the chances of these molecules springing spontaneously into existence? | be crushed out of, go out of If you jump into a black hole you will get torn apart and crushed out of existence. There was a fear that the club might go out of existence for lack of support. | bring sth into, call sth into striving to bring into existence a new kind of society | be aware of, know of | be unaware of | assert | assume, postulate, presuppose The theory assumes the existence of a ‘meritocracy’?that there is equal opportunity for all. | accept, acknowledge, believe in, recognize He didn't believe in the existence of God. | deny | doubt | imply, indicate, suggest | discover, reveal | confirm, demonstrate, establish, prove | disprove | explain How do you explain the existence of closely related species in widely separated locations? | justify | forget, ignore The girl's parents continued to ignore her very existence. | resent Deep down I resented his existence. | jeopardize, threaten Climate changes threaten the continued existence of the species. | owe The school owed its existence to the generosity of one man. | be vital to A super-efficient sense of smell is no longer vital to our existence.

EXISTENCE + VERB depend on/upon sth The company's existence depends on continued growth.

PREP. in ~ the only instrument of its kind in existence

PHRASES a mode of existence the nature and significance of the temporal mode of existence | the struggle for existence Darwin viewed the struggle for existence as being the major promoter of evolution.

² way of living

ADJ. bare, frugal, hand-to-mouth, miserable, precarious He lived a hand-to-mouth existence in the less attractive areas of London. | comfortable, ordered, peaceful, quiet | dull, humdrum, routine | isolated, lonely, solitary | nomadic | rural, suburban, urban | daily, day-to-day, everyday | previous, prior He claimed to be able to remember a previous existence.

VERB + EXISTENCE enjoy, have, lead, live | eke out, endure They eke out a precarious existence foraging in rubbish dumps.