sustenance

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noun sus·te·nance \ ˈsəs-tə-nən(t)s \

Definition of sustenance

1 a :means of support, maintenance, or subsistence :living

b :food, provisions; also :nourishment

2 a :the act of sustaining :the state of being sustained

b :a supplying or being supplied with the necessaries of life

3 :something that gives support, endurance, or strength

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Examples of sustenance in a Sentence

Tree bark provides deer with sustenance in periods of drought.
The village depends on the sea for sustenance.
She draws spiritual sustenance from daily church attendance.

Recent Examples of sustenance from the Web

Naturally isolationist and happiest when standing apart, islands are still forced to be outward looking for their very survival, sustenance, and supplies, relying on trade by sea.

— mark ellwood, CNT, "How Island Nations Are Bound Together by More Than Water," 14 Aug. 2017
The coastline provided easier pickings for humans to live off, while rainforests have much more limited sustenance.

— cathleen o'grady, Ars Technica, "Humans were in Indonesia more than 63,000 years ago," 11 Aug. 2017
Yankees fans don’t worry about hope, the most necessary sustenance for any baseball fan.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Manfred doesn’t see any problems, but he isn’t a fan watching Reds," 9 Aug. 2017
Dodgers fans don’t experience the anxiety associated with waiting for a future that might never arrive. Yankees fans don’t worry about hope, the most necessary sustenance for any baseball fan.

— paul daugherty, The Courier-Journal, "Doc: Manfred doesn’t see any problems, but he isn’t a fan watching Reds," 9 Aug. 2017
For thousands of years, many Alaskans living in remote areas have relied on hunting and trapping caribou for sustenance, and state laws require the maintenance of this food source, whether through improving habitat or killing predators.

— joanna klein, Alaska Dispatch News, "Study: Protected wolves in Alaska face peril from beyond their preserve," 17 July 2017
Many of them provide sustenance to the caterpillars of butterflies and other pollinators.

— adrian higgins, idahostatesman, "Tired of mulching? The pros have a different idea.," 14 July 2017
Citizens of a true republic must be free political thinkers and actors, not dependent on anyone else for their economic sustenance.

— win mccormack, New Republic, "Created Equal," 14 July 2017
Volunteers tend to the home's dooryard gardens, which offered sustenance and herbs for home remedies or dyes for clothing during Colonial times.

— dennis hohenberger, Courant Community, "Visitors Tour Stanley-Whitman House," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sustenance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.