How to Use persist in a Sentence

persist

verb
  • If the pain persists, see a doctor.
  • Must you persist in making that noise?
  • She had turned him down for a date before, but he persisted and asked her again.
  • If you persist with this behavior, you will be punished.
  • Doubts about the defendant's story have persisted for some time now.
  • Rumors persist that they are dating.
  • The reporter persisted with his questioning.
  • But for now, the lines persist.
    — Bill Chappell, NPR, 28 Mar. 2026
  • The joy will persist, but so will the final loss.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
  • If a stain persists, use a stain remover.
    — Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2025
  • But so long as that question persists, who knows?
    — Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
  • The fog will persist through late this morning.
    — Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
  • But years later, many of those gaps persist.
    — Uc Berkeley, Mercury News, 15 June 2026
  • Some weirdness will persist—and yet the weirdos will be gone.
    — Sheon Han, The New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2024
  • That gap persists, though there have been attempts to close it.
    — Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
  • If spots persist, use a non-scratch scrub sponge or grout brush to scrub the spots away.
    — Jamie Kim, Good Housekeeping, 22 Apr. 2023
  • The risk — which will persist for many years — lies in future wars.
    — James Laporta, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
  • And yet, in some states, the questions persist.
    — Frances Mei Hardin, Boston Herald, 9 May 2026
  • The first thing a forest seems to do is try to persist, or ward off change.
    — Joan Meiners, The Arizona Republic, 18 May 2022
  • What happens if the 'cold blob' persists?
    — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 15 June 2026
  • The pattern could persist for weeks.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 30 May 2026
  • Yet the Alley persists in spite of all this.
    — Lilliam Rivera, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
  • And yet there’s no way to know how long these barriers can persist.
    — Raja Shehadeh, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2023
  • As long as the clock changes persist, Yates has some advice.
    — ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
  • But why does this obsession with the wardrobes of the wealthy persist?
    — Rachel Tashjian, Washington Post, 7 May 2023
  • The problem persists, but so does Hurd.
    — Brad Hamilton, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
  • If stains persist, repeat the steps above before the item is dried.
    — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Aug. 2025
  • If the problem persists, please reach out to our support team.
    — Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
  • To be sure, there are signs that volatility may persist.
    — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026
  • And how old labels can persist, long after the facts have changed.
    — William Jones, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'persist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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