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

Derived Forms

• susˈtained, adjective
• sustainedly, adverb
• susˈtainment, noun
• susˈtaining, adjective
• susˈtainingly, adverb

Other Words From

• sus·tain·a·ble adjective
• sus·tain·ing·ly adverb
• sus·tain·ment noun
• non·sus·tain·ing adjective
• un·sus·tain·ing 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

On Santa Cruz Way, 89% of homes were destroyed or sustained at least minor damage.

From Los Angeles Times

However, it’s too soon to know exactly how many avocado trees in the area sustained damage or were destroyed, Bell said.

From Los Angeles Times

Whether the follow-up movie can sustain this momentum is anyone’s guess.

From Salon

She said while the government was seeking an "immediate" cut in prisoner numbers, it also needed a "sustained" decrease.

From BBC

Just two months before that, almost exactly two years ago, the “Jay Leno’s Garage” star was treated for second- and third-degree burns he sustained while working on an old car in his Burbank garage.

From Los Angeles Times

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.