hunter-gatherer

noun

hunt·​er-gath·​er·​er ˈhən-tər-ˈga-t͟hər-ər 

: a member of a culture in which food is obtained by hunting, fishing, and foraging rather than by agriculture or animal husbandry

Examples of hunter-gatherer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Per a project summary, the team discovered caves filled with paintings and traces of hunter-gatherer settlements. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025

The study’s authors believe their findings can help kick off thoughtful reexaminations of Europe’s last hunter-gatherer societies, as well as their influence on the natural world around them. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 9 Apr. 2025

Dogs evolved from gray wolves (Canis lupus) that began living near human hunter-gatherer settlements at least 15,000 years ago—long before agriculture became a thing. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025

The technology has certainly come a long way from when Inuit hunter-gatherers used to wear caribou antlers carved with thin slits in order to prevent snow blindness. —Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hunter-gatherer

• gatherer

Kids Definition

hunter-gatherer

noun

hunt·​er-gath·​er·​er

-ˈgat͟h-ər-ər,

-ˈget͟h-

: a member of a culture in which food is gotten by hunting, fishing, and gathering rather than by agriculture