sustain

[suh-steyn]

verb (used with object)

1. to support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of, as a structure.

   Synonyms: carry

2. to bear (a burden, charge, etc.).

3. to undergo, experience, or suffer (injury, loss, etc.); endure without giving way or yielding.

   Synonyms: bear

4. to keep (a person, the mind, the spirits, etc.) from giving way, as under trial or affliction.

5. to keep up or keep going, as an action or process.

   to sustain a conversation.

   Synonyms: maintain

6. to supply with food, drink, and other necessities of life.

7. to provide for (an institution or the like) by furnishing means or funds.

8. to support (a cause or the like) by aid or approval.

9. to uphold as valid, just, or correct, as a claim or the person making it.

   The judge sustained the lawyer's objection.

10. to confirm or corroborate, as a statement.

    Further investigation sustained my suspicions.

sustain

/ səˈsteɪn, səˈsteɪnɪdlɪ /

verb

1. to hold up under; withstand

   to sustain great provocation

2. to undergo (an injury, loss, etc); suffer

   to sustain a broken arm

3. to maintain or prolong

   to sustain a discussion

4. to support physically from below

5. to provide for or give support to, esp by supplying necessities

   to sustain one's family

   to sustain a charity

6. to keep up the vitality or courage of

7. to uphold or affirm the justice or validity of

   to sustain a decision

8. to establish the truth of; confirm

noun

1. music the prolongation of a note, by playing technique or electronics

Other Word Forms

• sustained adjective
• sustainedly adverb
• sustainment noun
• sustaining adjective
• sustainingly adverb
• sustainable adjective
• nonsustaining adjective
• unsustaining adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sustain¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of sustain¹

C13: via Old French from Latin sustinēre to hold up, from _sub- + tenēre to hold

Example Sentences

Management struck a “notably confident” tone as the company outlined its “sustained networking outperformance,” analysts wrote.

Read more on Barron's

Don’t miss: Stop worrying about the AI bubble: SocGen strategists tell clients the dollar and fundamentals will sustain this rally.

Read more on MarketWatch

The owners said the Cypress Lake campground, about a 10-minute walk from the Guadalupe River location, didn’t sustain any flood damage.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“It would be unsurprising to see more changes at those companies whose share prices have been under sustained pressure,” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The green turtle is no longer endangered, it said, citing "decades of sustained conservation action" that saw its population recover by 28 percent since the 1970s.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• assist 
• bolster 
• buoy 
• continue 
• defend 
• help 
• nurse 
• preserve 
• save 

When To Use

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.