withstand

[ with-stand, with- ]
See synonyms for: withstandwithstandingwithstandswithstood on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),with·stood, with·stand·ing.
  1. to stand or hold out against; resist or oppose, especially successfully: to withstand rust; to withstand the invaders; to withstand temptation.

verb (used without object),with·stood, with·stand·ing.
  1. to stand in opposition; resist.

Origin of withstand

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English withstanden,Old English withstandan (see with-, stand); cognate with Old Norse vithstanda; akin to German widerstehen

synonym study For withstand

1. See oppose.

Other words for withstand

Other words from withstand

  • with·stand·er, noun
  • with·stand·ing·ness, noun
  • un·with·stand·ing, adjective
  • un·with·stood, adjective

Words Nearby withstand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use withstand in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for withstand

withstand

/ (wɪðˈstænd) /


verb-stands, -standing or -stood
  1. (tr) to stand up to forcefully; resist

  2. (intr) to remain firm in endurance or opposition

Derived forms of withstand

  • withstander, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012