1. Be persistent, refuse to stop
   "he persisted to call me every night"; "The child persisted and kept asking questions";
   - persevere, hang in [informal], hang on, hold on
    
2. Continue or remain in existence, esp. despite time, difficulty or opposition
   "These stories persist";
   - prevail, die hard, run, endure
    
3. Continue to last or reoccur over time
   "The smell persisted long after the fire was extinguished"

Derived forms: persisting, persists, persisted

Type of: bear on, carry on, continue, preserve, uphold

Encyclopedia: Persist, Oregon