subsist

verb

sub·​sist səb-ˈsist How to pronounce subsist (audio)
subsisted; subsisting; subsists

intransitive verb

1
a
: to have existence : be
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
With starting quarterbacks getting almost all the reps during practice each week, backups have to subsist mostly on scout team reps and film study. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024 Burbank and Cooper, for whom empires subsist as amazing structures of large-scale governance, accommodating difference without (or until) falling to forces of localism or alternative empires, have a different perspective on collapse. Charles S. Maier, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2010 Did Ancient Mongolians Only Eat Blood? Aside from blood sausages, also known as blood pudding in some areas, Mongolians likely subsisted mostly on meat and dairy products from their herds. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2024 Studies of the remains of our forebears, as well as observations of living primates and modern-day hunter-gatherers, refute the idea that humans evolved to subsist primarily on animals. Kate Wong, Scientific American, 25 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for subsist 

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of subsist was in 1549

Dictionary Entries Near subsist

Cite this Entry

“Subsist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subsist. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

subsist

verb
sub·​sist səb-ˈsist How to pronounce subsist (audio)
1
: to have or continue to have existence : be, persist
2
: to have or get the necessities of life (as food and clothing)
especially : to nourish oneself
subsisting on roots and berries

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