Crossword Genius

Survive, being first to follow U-boats? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

subsist

'survive' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'first to follow u-boats?' is the wordplay.
'first to' becomes 'ist' (I've seen this in other clues).
'follow' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'u-boats?' becomes 'subs' ('sub' can be a synonym of 'u-boat').
'ist' put after 'subs' is 'SUBSIST'.

'being' is the link.

(Other definitions for subsist that I've seen before include "Survive at minimal level" , "Have the necessities for life" , "Live at a minimal level" , "keep going" , "Eke out a living" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.