Definition of sustenance
1a : means of support, maintenance, or subsistence : livingb : food, provisions; also : nourishment
2a : the act of sustaining : the state of being sustainedb : 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
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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.
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Citizens of a true republic must be free political thinkers and actors, not dependent on anyone else for their economic sustenance.
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Volunteers tend to the home's dooryard gardens, which offered sustenance and herbs for home remedies or dyes for clothing during Colonial times.
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There’s that feeling of him depending on you for emotional sustenance, which is a complicated thing for a child trying to separate to feel too, right?
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Residents get their power, their food, their spiritual sustenance, their recreation and their identity from the fish, the rivers and the wild nature of this region of the United States.
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There are countless vaudeville, musical and circus acts, as well as parades and other events and activites designed to provide hippie aesthetic sustenance to the throngs of people who attend the annual festival.
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The persistent pests, also known as Indianmeal moths, will even bore through plastic cellophane for sustenance.
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Prepared correctly, and with a little finesse and theater, blood can become not just sustenance but a culinary experience.
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.
Origin and Etymology of sustenance
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from sustenir
SUSTENANCE Defined for English Language Learners
sustenance
playDefinition of sustenance for English Language Learners
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: something (such as food) that keeps someone or something alive
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: something that gives support, help, or strength
SUSTENANCE Defined for Kids
sustenance
playDefinition of sustenance for Students
1 : 2living 3, subsistence
2 : the act of supplying with the necessities of life
3 : 2support 2 God is our sustenance in time of trouble.
Learn More about sustenance
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sustenance Spanish Central: Translation of sustenance Nglish: Translation of sustenance for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sustenance for Arabic speakers
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