subsistence
noun
sub·sis·tence
səb-ˈsi-stən(t)s 
1
a(1)
: real being : existence
(2)
: the condition of remaining in existence : continuation, persistence
b
: an essential characteristic quality of something that exists
c
: the character possessed by whatever is logically conceivable
2
: means of subsisting: such as
a
: the minimum (as of food and shelter) necessary to support life
b
: a source or means of obtaining the necessities of life
Examples of subsistence in a Sentence
They depended on hunting and fishing for subsistence.
Farming is their means of subsistence.
Recent Examples on the Web
His plan is to acquire a 50-acre field next year, which would put him into a small circle of large-scale agricultural producers in Senegal, where 95 percent of farms are small, mostly subsistence holdings.
—
Carmen Abd Ali, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Between January and April 2025, UNICEF warned, over 500,000 children and their families risk losing critical subsistence cash support from UN agencies, stripping the most vulnerable of their last lifeline.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Their cultural variation and complexity pertains almost entirely to matters of subsistence and reproduction, such as acquiring food and mating.
—Eli Elster, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2025
Jessie Holmes, who appeared on the long-running Nat Geo series Life Below Zero that follows people living subsistence lifestyles in the most remote parts of Alaska, won the famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Friday.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subsistence
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Carmen Abd Ali, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Between January and April 2025, UNICEF warned, over 500,000 children and their families risk losing critical subsistence cash support from UN agencies, stripping the most vulnerable of their last lifeline.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Their cultural variation and complexity pertains almost entirely to matters of subsistence and reproduction, such as acquiring food and mating.
—Eli Elster, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2025
Jessie Holmes, who appeared on the long-running Nat Geo series Life Below Zero that follows people living subsistence lifestyles in the most remote parts of Alaska, won the famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Friday.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subsistence
Cite this Entry
“Subsistence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subsistence. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
subsistence
noun
sub·sis·tence
səb-ˈsis-tən(t)s
1
a
: real being : existence
b
: the condition of remaining in existence : continuation, persistence
2
a
: means of subsisting
b
: the minimum (as of food and shelter) necessary to support life
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