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subsistence

[suhb-sis-tuhns] / səbˈsɪs təns /


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.

She said that she was a subsistence farmer and was not sure how she would provide for her newly enlarged family.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

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

Everywhere, rulers and elites sprang up, living off the peasants’ surplus food and leaving them with only a bare subsistence.

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




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