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.

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

The plan would entail measures such as moving to subsistence agriculture, using collective dining halls and instituting strict food rationing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 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

The loss of pasture land to raiding neighbours could mean the difference between subsistence and starvation, so there was much less room for compromise.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari