Showing results for "sustained"

• past tense form of sustain.
• past participle of sustain.

sustained

American  

[suh-steynd] / səˈsteɪnd /

adjective

1. kept in process or continued over time; continuous.

   National budgets need to reflect a sustained commitment to children's positive development, strong families, and caring communities.

2. (of an injury, cost, etc.) borne, experienced, or suffered.

   Homeowner’s insurance is not available to cover sustained losses from a radiological accident.

3. upheld or confirmed as valid.

   Nothing smacks more of courtroom defeat than ending a cross-examination on a sustained objection.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of sustain.

Other Word Forms

• nonsustained
  adjective
• presustained
  adjective
• unsustained
  adjective
• well-sustained
  adjective
• sustainedly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of sustained

sustain ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Something that's sustained is held or maintained for a long time, keeping its strength or level consistent and unbroken. A singer's sustained note goes on and on, and a judge's sustained ruling continues to be upheld. The adjective sustained, which describes something that goes on uninterrupted for a long time, comes from the Latin word sustinere, "to hold up, support, or endure." Something sustained can be either good or bad: a sustained conflict is never good, but a sustained peace is something to be fought for.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sustained

Early August could bring some rain to parts of the country, but the Met Office has said there is no sign of sustained rainfall that would make a significant difference to the dry conditions.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

“Although gold has fallen by nearly 25% since the conflict began, the metal has remained supported around the $4,000/oz level by sustained dip-buying,” said Soojin Kim, analyst at MUFG.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

"The spacecraft is in great shape, and we're on schedule to resume sustained thrusting with the solar-electric propulsion system later this fall."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

Now a Category 4 hurricane and moving northwest with sustained winds of about 155 mph, Genevieve is expected to generate up to 11-foot swells by Wednesday afternoon along beaches that face south and southwest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Even being lied to constantly, though hardly like love, was sustained attention; he must care about her to fabricate so elaborately and over such a long stretch of time.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Related Words

• constant
• continued
• continuous
• uninterrupted