verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   To persist in doing something; to continue to repeat an action after the original stimulus has ended. intransitive

   "After perseverating for several more months, Woodrow Wilson accepted the offer."

2. 2
   repeat a response after the cessation of the original stimulus wordnet
3. 3
   To cause the perseveration of (a given reflex or response). transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms

harpharpkeep onkeep onobsessesobsesses

Example

More examples

"After perseverating for several more months, Woodrow Wilson accepted the offer."

Etymology

Back-formation from perseveration. Doublet of persevere.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.