subsist on

phrasal verb

subsisted on; subsisting on; subsists on

: to use (something) as a way to stay alive : to live on (something)

poor people subsisting on just one or two dollars a day

The villagers subsist almost entirely on rice and fish.

(humorous) My brother subsists on pizza.

Examples of subsist on 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.

Indeed, things got so bad that at one point Hawk put himself on a $5-a-day food budget, subsisting on Taco Bell, ramen and peanut butter. —

Nicolas Vega, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2025 Although joblessness data has shown some improvement in recent months, millions of college graduates have been pushed into accepting low-paying work or even subsisting on their parents’ pensions. —

Reuters, NBC News, 15 Jan. 2025 Histories of eating disorders often begin with anorexia mirabilis (the holy loss of appetite), a medieval phenomenon of fasting saints who subsisted on little more than the Eucharist. —

Anna Shechtman, Harper's Magazine, 2 Mar. 2024 Much of the sea life the Vezo subsist on is getting scarce, from tuna and shrimp to invertebrates known as sea cucumbers. —

Sira Thierij, NPR, 26 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for subsist on