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 any case, the tree in question is drought-tolerant and will easily subsist on a single weekly soaking or less when its shallow roots are covered with mulch. —Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026

Emotional clarity and mutual understanding may also be premature at this time, even if there’s a lot of good vibes to subsist on. —Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Jan. 2026

Freshly unemployed and subsisting on selling plants to trust fund kids, Dell impulsively starts a 24-hour livestream under the username mademoiselle_dell to fundraise for private life support for Daisy. —Danielle Parker, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026

Many Pacific Northwest tribes have subsisted on the fish for millennia and have woven them into their religions and languages. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for subsist on

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• chitosan
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon