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

The ancient route was first traveled by hunter-gatherers, before being used by Indigenous traders, Inca messengers, Spanish colonists, and railway workers, among others. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 31 July 2026

These results raise some questions about how Ice Age hunter-gatherers interacted with wooly mammoths. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 30 July 2026

Their analysis indicates that the cave paintings were probably made by hunter-gatherers who lived in Western and Central Europe sometime between 16,700 and 5,200 years ago. — Tom Metcalfe, Scientific American, 2 July 2026

Today’s fathers contribute more to childcare than even the most hands-on hunter-gatherer dad, because there’s simply less of a village to support shared care. — Darby Saxbe, Fortune, 21 June 2026

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