sustain
Americanverb (used with object)
-
sustains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sustained,
past participle, past
-
sustaining
present participle
-
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
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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.
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to uphold as valid, just, or correct, as a claim or the person making it.
The judge sustained the lawyer's objection.
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to confirm or corroborate, as a statement.
Further investigation sustained my suspicions.
verb
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to hold up under; withstand
to sustain great provocation
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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
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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
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sustainmentnoun
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nonsustainingadjective
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sustainableadjective
-
sustainedadjective
-
sustainingadjective
-
unsustainingadjective
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sustainedlyadverb
-
sustaininglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sustainsimple
-
sustainssimple
-
have sustainedperfect
-
has sustainedperfect
-
am sustainingprogressive
-
are sustainingprogressive
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is sustainingprogressive
-
have been sustainingperfect progressive
-
has been sustainingperfect progressive
Past
-
sustainedsimple
-
had sustainedperfect
-
was sustainingprogressive
-
were sustainingprogressive
-
had been sustainingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
Exercise may not be the most powerful tool for losing weight, but it could help sustain hard-earned weight loss.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
These should position the company to sustain its margin stability, the analyst says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
In mice genetically engineered to lack AgRP neurons, GLP-1 drugs were no longer able to sustain weight loss.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
"But they also raise a broader question: whether the Navy can sustain the operational tempo now being demanded of its carrier force," he added.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
He hoped it would sustain him one more time.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
But "higher oil prices is likely going to translate into higher prices for the consumer if it sustains at this level."
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
In Chandler and Pierre, “Lanterns” has an extraordinary pairing that sustains enough frustration, humor, passion and regret to keep us rapt through the episodes provided for review.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Mr. Stevens, known to American audiences for playing Matthew Crawley in “Downton Abbey,” has a supple, sensitive delivery that sustains a sense of epic splendor while bringing out the relatable aspects of Homer’s tale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
He told me his Aztec rain god was painted in recognition of the agricultural economy that sustains the students’ families.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
“Water is important because it sustains life,” I say.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages is leaning toward surgery to repair the fractured left hand he sustained after being hit by a 100-mph sinker from Pittsburgh pitcher Bubba Chandler on Friday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
"We found that oral butyrate treatment induces a sustained immunoregulatory response in the intestine, characterized by increased IL-10 production in CD4+ T-cells and protection from intestinal inflammation even after butyrate treatment is stopped," Yu said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
European bond yields slipped slightly following weaker-than-expected economic data, easing the outlook for sustained rate hikes on the continent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The Agriculture Minister, Andrew Muir, cautioned that the strong performance is unlikely to be sustained through this year.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
“The ash is sustained by the spirit of Djel,” said Matthias.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
Shoehi Ohtani threw live batting practice for the first time since sustaining a knee injury that has kept him out of the Dodgers’ rotation since July.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
FY27 guidance is also soft due to lower-than-anticipated forecast copper output and higher-than-anticipated all-in sustaining costs, it says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
What it shows is the economy sustaining its momentum at the start of the third quarter following an above-average rate of growth in the spring.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Their study found that orexin neurons play an important role in sustaining and regulating motivated behavior.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
Washington realized it meant sustaining the national purpose as embodied in the Continental Army.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
