subsist

verb sub·sist \ səb-ˈsist \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: subsist in a Sentence

Definition of subsist

subsisted; subsisting; subsists

intransitive verb

1 a : to have existence : be

b : persist, continue

2 : to have or acquire the necessities of life (such as food and clothing); especially : to nourish oneself

subsisting on roots, berries and grubs

3 a : to hold true

b : to be logically conceivable as the subject of true statements

transitive verb

: to support with provisions

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Examples of subsist in a Sentence

The author's right to royalties shall subsist for the term of the copyright.
a love that was as great as any that ever did subsist

Recent Examples of subsist from the Web

Be adorable or memorable enough, and a contestant can become Instafamous and subsist on brand partnerships after the show.

— refinery29.com, "The Secret Lives Of Becca's Bachelorette Men," 29 May 2018
Salman subsisted on money from his brother, then-King Fahd, Prince Mohammed has told people.

— bradley hope, WSJ, "‘I Am the Mastermind’: Mohammed bin Salman’s Guide to Getting Rich," 16 May 2018
While the top 1%'s share of national income jumped from 12% in 1968 to 20% in 2016, the percentage of U.S. families subsisting below the official poverty rate is stuck around 10%, according to a recent report by the Institute for Policy Studies.

— jenny jarvie, latimes.com, "Echoing MLK in 1968, activists kick off new Poor People's Campaign," 14 May 2018
Many subsist on often predatory debt to cover basic expenses.

— david dayen, The New Republic, "How America Broke Its Economy," 8 May 2018
Remote and lacking basic resources like water and health care, the majority of its residents subsist on food aid.

— Washington Post, "‘I can go days without eating’: Hunger rises in South Sudan," 5 May 2018
Although the mean income per person is $3,110, twice the sub-Saharan average, about two-thirds of Angolans subsist on less than $2 a day.

— The Economist, "Angola’s new president, João Lourenço, has made an encouraging start," 3 May 2018
Holland became interested in the project as a struggling graduate student tired of subsisting on spaghetti and asked for recipes.

— nicole sours larson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Gourmet food on a budget," 23 Apr. 2018
After the father left for America in 1939, the remaining family fled German forces during World War II and hid in the mountains of Abruzzo for 14 months, subsisting on little food.

— robert d. mcfadden, BostonGlobe.com, "Learn this Boston firefighter's secret to training for the Boston Marathon," 19 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'subsist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of subsist

Late Latin subsistere to exist, from Latin, to come to a halt, remain, from sub- + sistere to come to a stand; akin to Latin stare to stand — more at stand

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First Known Use: 1549

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

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