hunter-gatherer

noun

hunt·​er-gath·​er·​er ˈhən-tər-ˈga-t͟hər-ər 

: a member of a culture in which food is obtained by hunting, fishing, and foraging rather than by agriculture or animal husbandry

Examples of hunter-gatherer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At that time, agriculture had not yet emerged, and humans lived as hunter-gatherers. —Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026

Based on their analysis, the team believes that dogs from local hunter-gatherer groups already living in Europe contributed to the genetics of dog populations that were already working alongside with farmers about 10,000 years ago. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 25 Mar. 2026

Back when most of humanity lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, people learned primarily through direct experience. —Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 3 Mar. 2026

But the heart of the film is a lengthy stretch in Namibia, where, from within a community of San hunter-gatherers, Boyes enlists three trackers to accompany him on the long, difficult trek to Angola. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hunter-gatherer

• gatherer

Kids Definition

hunter-gatherer

noun

hunt·​er-gath·​er·​er

-ˈgat͟h-ər-ər, 

-ˈget͟h-

: a member of a culture in which food is gotten by hunting, fishing, and gathering rather than by agriculture