hunter-gatherer

noun

hunt·​er-gath·​er·​er ˈhən-tər-ˈga-t͟hər-ər How to pronounce hunter-gatherer (audio)
: a member of a culture in which food is obtained by hunting, fishing, and foraging rather than by agriculture or animal husbandry

Examples of hunter-gatherer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Despite what their name might imply, the extra-furry lab mice have no mammoth DNA present in their genome, but were altered to look reminiscent of the ancient beasts that once roamed much of the earth, providing ample meat and furs for our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Mitchell Willetts, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2025 Dogs evolved from gray wolves (Canis lupus) that began living near human hunter-gatherer settlements at least 15,000 years ago—long before agriculture became a thing. Scott Travers, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 The technology has certainly come a long way from when Inuit hunter-gatherers used to wear caribou antlers carved with thin slits in order to prevent snow blindness. Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2025 The fact that hunter-gatherers built Poverty Point challenges conventional ideas about early civilizations. Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 8 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hunter-gatherer

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hunter-gatherer was in 1938

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Cite this Entry

“Hunter-gatherer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunter-gatherer. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

hunter-gatherer

noun
hunt·​er-gath·​er·​er
-ˈgat͟h-ər-ər,
-ˈget͟h-
: a member of a culture in which food is gotten by hunting, fishing, and gathering rather than by agriculture

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