subsist on
phrasal verb
subsisted on; subsisting on; subsists on
: to use (something) as a way to stay alive : to live on (something)
poor people subsisting on just one or two dollars a day
The villagers subsist almost entirely on rice and fish.
(humorous) My brother subsists on pizza.
Examples of subsist on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In a rural Mississippi town subsisting on its antebellum past, a reckoning unfolds.
—
Addie Morfoot, Variety, 27 June 2024
The women subsisted on a strict diet of food from Jenny Craig, though some occasionally indulged in contraband brownies from Starbucks.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2024
In 1970, half of humanity lived in extreme poverty, subsisting on less than two dollars a day.
—The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
Bruno, The Triplets of Belleville Sylvain Chomet’s charming comedy traffics in caricature, from a France where cyclists subsist on an IV drip of Cabernet to an America populated by the rich and obese.
—Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for subsist on 
Addie Morfoot, Variety, 27 June 2024
The women subsisted on a strict diet of food from Jenny Craig, though some occasionally indulged in contraband brownies from Starbucks.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2024
In 1970, half of humanity lived in extreme poverty, subsisting on less than two dollars a day.
—The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
Bruno, The Triplets of Belleville Sylvain Chomet’s charming comedy traffics in caricature, from a France where cyclists subsist on an IV drip of Cabernet to an America populated by the rich and obese.
—Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for subsist on
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subsist on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Subsist on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subsist%20on. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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