sustain

American  

[suh-steyn] / səˈsteɪn /

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.

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sustain British  

/ 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

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noun

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

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

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

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.

Example Sentences

These were areas large and productive enough to sustain stable populations and, importantly, connected to other such regions.

From Science Daily • Apr. 28, 2026

The sudden reversal comes as diplomatic efforts involving the United States, regional mediators and Iranian officials remain in flux, with talks shifting in structure and location as officials attempt to sustain fragile momentum toward de-escalation.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

Despite the pullback, analysts like Citi’s John Godyn believe defense stocks can sustain growth, with 59% of analysts rating RTX shares a Buy.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

The combined Royal Navy and Norwegian orders are expected to sustain naval shipbuilding on the Clyde well into the 2030s.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

The word genocide shares its root with gene—and for good reason: the Nazis used the vocabulary of genes and genetics to launch, justify, and sustain their agenda.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

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