sustain
to support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of, as a structure.
to bear (a burden, charge, etc.).
to undergo, experience, or suffer (injury, loss, etc.); endure without giving way or yielding.
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.
to supply with food, drink, and other necessities of life.
to provide for (an institution or the like) by furnishing means or funds.
to support (a cause or the like) by aid or approval.
to uphold as valid, just, or correct, as a claim or the person making it: The judge sustained the lawyer's objection.
to confirm or corroborate, as a statement: Further investigation sustained my suspicions.
Origin of sustain
1Other words for sustain
Other words from sustain
- sus·tain·a·ble, adjective
- sus·tain·ing·ly, adverb
- sus·tain·ment, noun
- non·sus·tain·ing, adjective
- un·sus·tain·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for sustain
/ (səˈsteɪn) /
to hold up under; withstand: to sustain great provocation
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
to uphold or affirm the justice or validity of: to sustain a decision
to establish the truth of; confirm
music the prolongation of a note, by playing technique or electronics
Origin of sustain
1Derived forms of sustain
- sustained, adjective
- sustainedly (səˈsteɪnɪdlɪ), adverb
- sustaining, adjective
- sustainingly, adverb
- sustainment, 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
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