ex·ist·ence /ɪgˈzɪstəns/ noun
plural ex·ist·encenc·es 1 [noncount] : the state of existing: such as a : the fact of having actual being : the state of being real
▪ the existence of ghosts ▪ She began to doubt the existence of God. ▪ the largest animal/building in existence [=the largest animal/building that exists] ▪ We shouldn't deny the existence of these problems. [=we shouldn't deny that these problems are present or real] ▪ long before the country had come into existence [=begun to exist; come to have actual being] ▪ The company has since gone out of existence. [=it no longer exists]
b : the state of continuing to be or to live
▪ The organization is engaged in a struggle for (its) existence. ▪ I owe my very existence [=life] to their courage. [=I am alive because of their courage] 2 [count] : a particular way of living — usually singular ▪ They enjoyed a comfortable existence. ▪ They pursued their meager existence in a poor rural area.
▪ the existence of ghosts ▪ She began to doubt the existence of God. ▪ the largest animal/building in existence [=the largest animal/building that exists] ▪ We shouldn't deny the existence of these problems. [=we shouldn't deny that these problems are present or real] ▪ long before the country had come into existence [=begun to exist; come to have actual being] ▪ The company has since gone out of existence. [=it no longer exists]
b : the state of continuing to be or to live
▪ The organization is engaged in a struggle for (its) existence. ▪ I owe my very existence [=life] to their courage. [=I am alive because of their courage]
