sustenance

noun

sus·​te·​nance ˈsə-stə-nən(t)s How to pronounce sustenance (audio)
1
a
: means of support, maintenance, or subsistence : living
2
a
: the act of sustaining : the state of being sustained
b
: a supplying or being supplied with the necessaries of life
3
: something that gives support, endurance, or strength

Examples of sustenance in a Sentence

Tree bark provides deer with sustenance in periods of drought. The village depends on the sea for sustenance. She draws spiritual sustenance from daily church attendance.
Recent Examples on the Web Locke, as a homosexual, and Johnson, as an orphan adrift, grew up without the usual empathetic scaffolding of familial sustenance. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 The fried rice steamed from its container, heady sustenance dotted with scrambled eggs, and brightened with a few green flecks of scallions. Hetty Lui McKinnon, Bon Appétit, 19 Feb. 2024 This essay is beautifully rendered, taking readers from the tomb of Tutankhamen in Egypt, to a roadside fruit stand in Senegal, to the agricultural fields of China, in search of watermelon as both sustenance and symbol. Longreads, 26 Jan. 2024 Cash flow management should be viewed as sailing through rough seas where one needs to keep a tab on all the dangers and plan for sustenance in the future. Chris Kille, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Determined to cast a wider net in humanity's search for sustenance, a group of NASA scientists travel to space to investigate three planets that could potentially prove hospitable for humans. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 26 Jan. 2024 Several nature conservation areas within the park will continue to be home to more than 5,000 native tree species, and the pollinator meadow includes native plants and flowers that should provide habitat and sustenance for native pollinators, according to Vaccare. Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2024 But are these varieties equally attractive to the insects and birds who depend on them for sustenance? Tovah Martin, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 However, elk also thrive in lower-elevation landscapes, especially in the West, where prairie grasses provide year-round sustenance and dense pockets of cedar and pinon give elk enough cover. Jace Bauserman, Field & Stream, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sustenance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from sustenir

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of sustenance was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near sustenance

Cite this Entry

“Sustenance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sustenance. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sustenance

noun
sus·​te·​nance ˈsəs-tə-nən(t)s How to pronounce sustenance (audio)
1
a
: means of support, maintenance, or existence
2
: the act of sustaining : the state of being sustained
especially : a supplying with the necessities of life
3
: something that gives support, help, or strength

More from Merriam-Webster on sustenance

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