subsistence

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.

A decade and a half of gloom followed, during which, Mr. Gittlitz notes, the atmosphere of Dust Bowl privation at Shea was underscored by corn and tomato plants growing like subsistence crops in the bullpen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond described his childhood subsistence on food stamps, free school lunches and surplus government cheese.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

Greenland's 57,000-strong population -- nearly 90 percent indigenous Inuit people -- has long traditions of hunting and fishing as the primary means of subsistence.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

The evidence suggests people are driven into subsistence work by necessity, not drawn into better-quality jobs by a stronger economy.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025

Polynesian subsistence depended on varying mixes of fishing, gathering wild plants and marine shellfish and Crustacea, hunting terrestrial birds and breeding seabirds, and food production.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond