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
The entire inmate population subsists on the same meal, laid out across a single table that arrives on a descending platform once a day, stopping at each floor for a few minutes.
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A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2024
Was an ancient reptile, for all intents and purposes a 15-million-year-old dinosaur, actually roaming this expanse of creosote scrub, subsisting on beavertail cactus flesh, going about her day ignorant of the weather alerts, the headlines, the untold human tragedies?
—Outside Online, 23 Oct. 2024
Promoters of the carnivore diet argue that our ancestors subsisted on animals almost exclusively.
—Steven Kurutz Steven Kurutz, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2024
In the span of a few short months, Disney — the Hollywood studio designed more than any other to subsist on franchises — once again is dominating its rivals after losing its No. 1 standing to Universal last year in a stunning fall from grace.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Sep. 2024
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A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2024
Was an ancient reptile, for all intents and purposes a 15-million-year-old dinosaur, actually roaming this expanse of creosote scrub, subsisting on beavertail cactus flesh, going about her day ignorant of the weather alerts, the headlines, the untold human tragedies?
—Outside Online, 23 Oct. 2024
Promoters of the carnivore diet argue that our ancestors subsisted on animals almost exclusively.
—Steven Kurutz Steven Kurutz, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2024
In the span of a few short months, Disney — the Hollywood studio designed more than any other to subsist on franchises — once again is dominating its rivals after losing its No. 1 standing to Universal last year in a stunning fall from grace.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for subsist on
Dictionary Entries Near subsist on
Cite this Entry
“Subsist on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subsist%20on. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
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