sustain
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of, as a structure.
- Synonyms:
- carry
-
to bear (a burden, charge, etc.).
-
to undergo, experience, or suffer (injury, loss, etc.); endure without giving way or yielding.
- Synonyms:
- bear
-
to keep (a person, the mind, the spirits, etc.) from giving way, as under trial or affliction.
-
to keep up or keep going, as an action or process.
to sustain a conversation.
- Synonyms:
- maintain
-
to supply with food, drink, and other necessities of life.
-
to provide for (an institution or the like) by furnishing means or funds.
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to support (a cause or the like) by aid or approval.
-
to uphold as valid, just, or correct, as a claim or the person making it.
The judge sustained the lawyer's objection.
-
to confirm or corroborate, as a statement.
Further investigation sustained my suspicions.
verb
-
to hold up under; withstand
to sustain great provocation
-
to undergo (an injury, loss, etc); suffer
to sustain a broken arm
-
to maintain or prolong
to sustain a discussion
-
to support physically from below
-
to provide for or give support to, esp by supplying necessities
to sustain one's family
to sustain a charity
-
to keep up the vitality or courage of
-
to uphold or affirm the justice or validity of
to sustain a decision
-
to establish the truth of; confirm
noun
Usage
What are other ways to say sustain? To sustain a claim or an idea is to uphold it as valid, just or correct. How does sustain differ from the synonyms maintain, support, or uphold? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
sustainableadjective
-
sustainmentnoun
-
sustainingadjective
-
nonsustainingadjective
-
sustainedadjective
-
unsustainingadjective
-
sustaininglyadverb
-
sustainedlyadverb
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have sustainedperfect
-
has sustainedperfect 3rd person singular
-
am sustainingprogressive 1st person singular
-
are sustainingprogressive
-
is sustainingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
has been sustainingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been sustainingperfect progressive
-
sustainssingular 3rd person
-
sustainingparticiple
Past
-
had sustainedperfect
-
was sustainingprogressive singular
-
had been sustainingperfect progressive
-
were sustainingprogressive plural
-
sustainedsimple
-
sustainedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of sustain
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English suste(i)nen, from Anglo-French sustenir, Old French, from Latin sustinēre “to uphold,” equivalent to sus- sus- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre “to hold”
Explanation
Sustain means to support something or keep it going. If you get hungry in the mid-afternoon, you might try snacking to sustain your energy through dinner. Beams and rafters sustain a roof — they keep it up. If you sustain a conversation over the course of hours, you keep it going during that time. If you sustain an injury, it means you are injured. If you sustain an interest in what you're studying, it means that you're just as excited about the subject after studying as you are when you began.
Vocabulary lists containing sustain
List 2
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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.
Critics say the distinction is difficult to sustain when the account belongs to a head of state.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Beyond storing carbon, mangroves play a critical role in shielding shorelines from storms, supporting wildlife, and helping sustain coastal communities.
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026
While Big Tech stocks may still be flying high, some companies are realizing they can’t sustain this level of spending on tokens.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
“L.A. is learning to be a place that needs to sustain itself out of balance, in particular, since the fires,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
He knows he's supposed to honor his country and his leaders, and that means to obey, honor, and sustain its laws.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
