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subsist

[suhb-sist] / səbˈsɪst /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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As Boy Scouts, the twins learned to survive in the wilderness, or at least subsist on oatmeal for two days as they did once after running out of other food.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

Those who subsist on the fringes of the Vegas tourism orbit are aware that they are in a funk but are nonetheless powerless to fix it.

From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2025

Yet the text’s unhurried recollections reflect its content: “Homework” feels leisurely as if to reflect the functional, socialist-adjacent government that allows its characters to subsist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2025

Famine has already been declared in one area - many others subsist on the brink of starvation not knowing where their next meal will come from.

From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2024

Among other problems, most had small seeds—imagine trying to feed a family on sesame seeds, and you have some idea of what it would have been like to subsist on maygrass.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Chillaxed and impulsive, he subsists on good vibes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2025

This could affect the bird's ability to survive in tidal marshes, where it subsists on saltwater and salty crustaceans, something freshwater birds are ill-adapted to.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2024

He is unemployed and subsists on the corn and beans he grows.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 20, 2023

Thus she subsists on the blood of animals, a solution that becomes increasingly unworkable as her hunger increases.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 13, 2023

The food this family subsists on is like nothing I’ve ever eaten before.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Cramped inside vessels overladen with precious cargo, crewmembers subsisted on a miserable diet of hardtack, an unleavened bread, and salted meat and fish that routinely spoiled and left many gravely ill.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

Through much of U.S. history, the federal government subsisted on the proceeds generated by tariffs and on the tax on whiskey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

Even Oliver, a man who long subsisted on dips, has nothing bad to say.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2025

That was evident in their 17-15 loss to Arizona on Monday night, when they subsisted on five field goals from Cameron Dicker and consistently came up short in the red zone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2024

They had subsisted on leftovers and the occasional McDonald’s takeout from Window Rock.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

"People are probably subsisting on 1,000 or 1,500 calories a day, and are not able to get basic healthcare," he said.

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

Aguilar, who has two young daughters, says his family is subsisting on food banks and relies on donations for rent.

From Salon ● May 2, 2026

The men ran out of food, subsisting on what they scrounged up: vitamins pills and pancake mix.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2025

Less than two years ago, Brittney Griner was starting her nine-year sentence in a penal colony in Russia, sewing uniforms for the Russian military and subsisting on spoiled food.

From New York Times ● May 3, 2024

Mr. Grote has returned from the woods empty-handed for the past three days, and we’re subsisting on eggs and potatoes.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline




Vocabulary lists containing subsist


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