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existence
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/ɪɡˈzɪst(ə)ns/ 
| singular | existence |
| plural | existences |
- 1[uncountable] the state of being a real or living thing, or of being present in a particular place, time, or situation
The tests confirm the existence of a brain tumour.
in existence:the only copy of the book that is still in existence
come into existence/go out of existence:The company came into existence at the end of the 1980s.
- 2[countable] [usually singular] the way that someone lives their life, especially when their life is difficult
Jones led a miserable existence in an isolated village for several years.
a hand-to-mouth existence (=having hardly enough food or money to live on):He lived a hand-to-mouth existence in a poor area of London.
eke out an existence (=manage to live under difficult conditions):Families struggle to eke out an existence in this harsh environment.
This is the British English definition of existence. View American English definition of existence.
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