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.

Cramped inside vessels overladen with precious cargo, crewmembers subsisted on a miserable diet of hardtack, an unleavened bread, and salted meat and fish that routinely spoiled and left many gravely ill.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

Through much of U.S. history, the federal government subsisted on the proceeds generated by tariffs and on the tax on whiskey.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Even Oliver, a man who long subsisted on dips, has nothing bad to say.

From Salon • Nov. 1, 2025

Father and daughter subsisted on a few real estate investments that allowed him “to pay the bills.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2025

The Natufians were hunter-gatherers who subsisted on dozens of wild species, but they lived in permanent villages and devoted much of their time to the intensive gathering and processing of wild cereals.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari