C2verbformalnaturefood
US/səbˈsɪst/
UK/səbˈsɪst/
to stay alive with only a very small amount of food or money
In context
During the drought, many families subsisted on cassava and wild vegetables.
Some mountain communities still subsist by farming small plots of land.
The shipwrecked sailors subsisted for weeks on fish and rainwater.
Words that go with subsist
verb + preposition
- subsist onPandas subsist on a diet made up almost entirely of bamboo.
- subsist byBefore tourism arrived, the islanders subsisted by fishing.
adverb + verb
- barely subsistMany workers can barely subsist on the minimum wage.
verb + adverb
- subsist largelyThe village subsisted largely on rice and fish.
- subsist entirelyThese plants subsist entirely on rainwater and air.