withstand

[with-stand, with-]

verb (used with object)

withstood, withstanding 

1. to stand or hold out against; resist or oppose, especially successfully: to withstand the invaders;

   to withstand rust;

   to withstand the invaders;

   to withstand temptation.

   Synonyms: face, confront

verb (used without object)

withstood, withstanding 

1. to stand in opposition; resist.

withstand

/ wɪðˈstænd /

verb

1. (tr) to stand up to forcefully; resist

2. (intr) to remain firm in endurance or opposition

Other Word Forms

• withstander noun
• withstandingness noun
• unwithstanding adjective
• unwithstood adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of withstand¹

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

Synonym Study

See oppose.

Example Sentences

But whether Dame Anna remains the right person to be at the helm, and whether the magazine can withstand increasing financial pressures, remains to be seen.

From BBC

Survivors contend with immediate hazards and individual secrets, complicating whether or not they can withstand ghost hordes of previous expeditions.

From Los Angeles Times

Xi told Putin that "China-Russia relations have withstood the test of international changes" - adding that Beijing was willing to work with Moscow to "promote the construction of a more just and reasonable global governance system".

From BBC

The councillor said the government must ensure the new councils created are the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks.

From BBC

Naturally, when the breaths are strung together between lyrics and put to music in the form of an album, it’s a seismic event, one that no rock forged is strong enough to withstand.

From Salon

Related Words

• combat 
• cope 
• defy 
• hold off 
• repel 
• resist 
• ride out 
• suffer 
• thwart 
• tolerate 
• weather