subsist

verb

sub·sist | \ səb-ˈsist

subsisted; subsisting; subsists

Definition of subsist

1a : 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

3a : to hold true

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

transitive verb

: to support with provisions

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about subsist

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Synonyms & Antonyms for subsist

Synonyms

be, breathe, exist, live

Antonyms

depart, die, expire, pass away, perish, succumb

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 on the Web

On average since 2006, beekeepers have lost about 30 percent of colonies each winter, when hives must subsist on honey reserves to survive. — Scott Dance, Washington Post, "University of Maryland-led survey finds honeybee losses highest in 13 years this winter," 20 June 2019 On average since 2006, beekeepers have been losing about 30% of colonies each winter, when hives must subsist on honey reserves to survive. — Scott Dance, baltimoresun.com, "Honey bee losses highest in 13 years this winter, University of Maryland-led survey finds," 19 June 2019 Mr Romano of Nestlé says that Latin American ones used to subsist largely on table scraps, but no longer. — The Economist, "Pet-ownership is booming across the world," 22 June 2019 Though mental illness has subsisted in a shroud of shame and silence, candid conversations are dismantling the stigma. — Caryn M. Sullivan, Twin Cities, "Caryn Sullivan: Mental illness: Breaking the silence and making a plan," 9 June 2019 According to their hypothesis, as a species, modern humans are generalists, subsisting on a broad array of resources across the planet. — Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, "The World Is Our Niche," 3 June 2019 That devotion to the form, even at its least fashionable, means Neel, who grew up middle class and bored in small town Pennsylvania, subsisted for much of her adult life on welfare checks. — Julia Felsenthal, Vogue, "Searching for Myself in Alice Neel’s Radical Portraits," 26 Feb. 2019 When the Puritans arrived in North America in the 1620s and 1630s, the Narragansetts—really a confederation of tribes—were mostly peaceable, subsisting on fishing, trapping, farming and handicrafts. — Roger Lowenstein, WSJ, "‘God, War, and Providence’ Review: When Conquest Was Puritanical," 13 June 2018 For three weeks earlier this summer, the 142nd had been conducting an emergency deployment readiness exercise in Wyoming, training and sleeping outdoors, subsisting on field rations. — Bob Greene, WSJ, "A Soldier Never Forgets North Platte," 22 July 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.