withstand

[ with-stand, with- ]

/ wɪθˈstænd, wɪð- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR withstand ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), with·stood, with·stand·ing.

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.

to stand in opposition; resist.

Nearby words

without fail, without further ado, without question, without so much as, withoutdoors, withstand, withy, withywind, witigo, witless, witlessly

Origin of withstand

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

SYNONYMS FOR withstand

1 confront, face. See oppose.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR withstand ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

with·stand·er, nounwith·stand·ing·ness, nounun·with·stand·ing, adjectiveun·with·stood, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for withstand

People with ID may be less able to withstand this sort of interview technique.
How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The gaming industry can withstand a critical look, but it can and must also withstand some diversity in its ranks.
The Cake Is a Lie: Sexism Isn’t a Boss Gamer Girls Can Beat|Emily V Gordon|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He noted that none of the militaries of the former Soviet republics could withstand a full-scale Russian invasion.
What to Do When Russia Invades Your Country|Eli Lake|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Six months of the highest dose of chemotherapy his body could withstand and, after that, nothing but hope.
How Big Pharma Holds Back in the War on Cancer|ProPublica|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

(Branch) Rickey selected Jackie because he knew he could withstand the guff.
Playing Pinochle and Breaking Barriers With Jackie Robinson|Evan Weiner|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
July 10th, 1663, which made it a case of confession to withstand it.
Biographia Scoticana (Scots Worthies)|John Howie
What infidelity can withstand such an instance, and still say, there is no God?
Curiosities of Human Nature|Anonymous
The hurricane, however, grows and grows, and when it has reached to 100 or 120 miles an hour nothing can withstand it.
The Complete Story of the Galveston Horror|Various
Once he could not withstand the blow, and blood trickled from his left arm.
Hania|Henryk Sienkiewicz
He was no longer the weak, timid young man, who could neither speak nor act, but a Hercules whom nothing could withstand.
The Bashful Lover (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XIX)|Charles Paul de Kock

British Dictionary definitions for withstand

withstand

/ (wɪðˈstænd) /

verb -stands, -standing or -stood

(tr) to stand up to forcefully; resist

(intr) to remain firm in endurance or opposition

Derived Forms

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

withstand

verb (used with object), with·stood, with·stand·ing.

verb (used without object), with·stood, with·stand·ing.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of withstand

SYNONYMS FOR withstand

Related forms

Examples from the Web for withstand

British Dictionary definitions for withstand

withstand

verb -stands, -standing or -stood

Derived Forms