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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

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

In addition, many present-day hunter-gatherer societies still include scavenging as part of their subsistence practices, demonstrating that it remains a practical and effective strategy.

From Science Daily • Jan. 19, 2026

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




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