sustain
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sus·tain
(sə-stān′)tr.v. sus·tained, sus·tain·ing, sus·tains
1.
a. To keep in existence; maintain, continue, or prolong: sustain an effort.
b. To keep up (a joke or assumed role, for example) competently.
2.
a. To supply with necessities or nourishment; provide for: the income needed to sustain a family.
b. To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution of; encourage: We were sustained by her unflagging optimism.
3. To support from below; keep from falling or sinking; prop: The beams sustain the weight of the roof.
4.
a. To bear up under; withstand: can't sustain the blistering heat.
b. To experience or suffer: sustained minor injuries.
5. To affirm the validity of: The judge has sustained the prosecutor's objection.
n.
A capacity of a musical instrument to continue the resounding of a note or tone.
[Middle English sustenen, from Old French sustenir, from Latin sustinēre : sub-, from below; see sub- + tenēre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
sus·tain′er n.
sus·tain′ment n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
sustain
(səˈsteɪn)vb (tr)
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
n
(Music, other) music the prolongation of a note, by playing technique or electronics
[C13: via Old French from Latin sustinēre to hold up, from sub- + tenēre to hold]
susˈtained adj
sustainedly adv
susˈtaining adj
susˈtainingly adv
susˈtainment n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
sus•tain
(səˈsteɪn)v.t.
1. to support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of.
2. to bear (a burden, charge, etc.).
3. to undergo or suffer (injury, loss, etc.).
4. to endure without giving way or yielding.
5. to keep (a person, the spirits, etc.) from giving way, as under trial or affliction.
6. to keep up or keep going, as an action or process; maintain: to sustain a conversation.
7. to supply with food, drink, and other necessities of life.
8. to provide for by furnishing means or funds.
9. to support by aid or approval.
10. to uphold as valid, just, or correct: The judge sustained the lawyer's objection.
11. to confirm or corroborate.
[1250–1300; < Anglo-French sustenir, Old French « Latin sustinēre to uphold =sus- sus- + -tinēre, comb. form of tenēre to hold]
sus•tain′a•ble, adj.
sus•tain′er, n.
sus•tain′ment, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
sustain
Past participle: sustained
Gerund: sustaining
| Imperative |
|---|
| sustain |
| sustain |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | sustain - lengthen or extend in duration or space; "We sustained the diplomatic negotiations as long as possible"; "prolong the treatment of the patient"; "keep up the good work" keep on, retain, continue, keep - allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature; "We cannot continue several servants any longer"; "She retains a lawyer"; "The family's fortune waned and they could not keep their household staff"; "Our grant has run out and we cannot keep you on"; "We kept the work going as long as we could"; "She retained her composure"; "this garment retains its shape even after many washings" |
| 2. | sustain - undergo (as of injuries and illnesses); "She suffered a fracture in the accident"; "He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars"; "She got a bruise on her leg"; "He got his arm broken in the scuffle" collapse, break down - collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack cramp - suffer from sudden painful contraction of a muscle have - suffer from; be ill with; "She has arthritis" experience, have, receive, get - go through (mental or physical states or experiences); "get an idea"; "experience vertigo"; "get nauseous"; "receive injuries"; "have a feeling" | |
| 3. | sustain - provide with nourishment; "We sustained ourselves on bread and water"; "This kind of food is not nourishing for young children" cater, ply, provide, supply - give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance; "The hostess provided lunch for all the guests" carry - be able to feed; "This land will carry ten cows to the acre" | |
| 4. | sustain - supply with necessities and support; "She alone sustained her family"; "The money will sustain our good cause"; "There's little to earn and many to keep" patronage - support by being a patron of reseed - maintain by seeding without human intervention; "Some plants reseed themselves indefinitely" have, have got, hold - have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense; "She has $1,000 in the bank"; "He has got two beautiful daughters"; "She holds a Master's degree from Harvard" carry - keep up with financial support; "The Federal Government carried the province for many years" | |
| 5. | sustain - be the physical support of; carry the weight of; "The beam holds up the roof"; "He supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam"; "What's holding that mirror?" scaffold - provide with a scaffold for support; "scaffold the building before painting it" block - support, secure, or raise with a block; "block a plate for printing"; "block the wheels of a car" carry - bear or be able to bear the weight, pressure,or responsibility of; "His efforts carried the entire project"; "How many credits is this student carrying?"; "We carry a very large mortgage" chock - support on chocks; "chock the boat" pole - support on poles; "pole climbing plants like beans" bracket - support with brackets; "bracket bookshelves" underpin - support from beneath prop, prop up, shore up, shore - support by placing against something solid or rigid; "shore and buttress an old building" truss - support structurally; "truss the roofs"; "trussed bridges" brace - support by bracing | |
| 6. | sustain - admit as valid; "The court sustained the motion" acknowledge, admit - declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of; "He admitted his errors"; "She acknowledged that she might have forgotten" | |
| 7. |  sustain - establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts; "his story confirmed my doubts"; "The evidence supports the defendant"vouch - give supporting evidence; "He vouched his words by his deeds" verify - confirm the truth of; "Please verify that the doors are closed"; "verify a claim" shew, show, demonstrate, prove, establish - establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment; "The experiment demonstrated the instability of the compound"; "The mathematician showed the validity of the conjecture" document - support or supply with references; "Can you document your claims?" validate - prove valid; show or confirm the validity of something |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
sustain
verb
1. maintain, continue, keep up, prolong, keep going, keep alive, protract He has sustained his fierce social conscience.
2. suffer, experience, undergo, feel, bear, endure, withstand, bear up under Every aircraft in there has sustained some damage.
4. keep alive, nourish, provide for not enough food to sustain a mouse
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
sustain
verb3. To keep from yielding or failing during stress or difficulty:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
TranslationsSelect a language:
Spanish / Español
sustain
[səsˈteɪn] VT1. (= keep going) [+ interest, relationship, marriage] → mantener; [+ effort] → sostener, continuar; [+ life] → sustentar (Mus) [+ note] → sostener
the economy was not able to sustain a long war → la economía no podía soportar una guerra larga
the economy was not able to sustain a long war → la economía no podía soportar una guerra larga
2. (frm) (= suffer) [+ attack] → sufrir (y rechazar); [+ damage, loss] → sufrir; [+ injury] → recibir, sufrir; [+ defeat] → padecer
both ships sustained minor damage → ambos buques sufrieron daños de menor consideración
both ships sustained minor damage → ambos buques sufrieron daños de menor consideración
3. (= support) (lit) [+ weight] → sostener, apoyar (fig) [+ theory] → confirmar, corroborar
it is his belief in God that sustains him → su fe en Dios es lo que lo sostiene or mantiene
it is his belief in God that sustains him → su fe en Dios es lo que lo sostiene or mantiene
4. (Jur) (= uphold) [+ objection] → admitir; [+ claim] → corroborar, respaldar; [+ charge] → confirmar, corroborar
objection sustained → la objeción está admitida
objection sustained → la objeción está admitida
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
sustain
(səˈstein) verb1. to bear (the weight of). The branches could hardly sustain the weight of the fruit.sostener, aguantar
2. to give help or strength to. The thought of seeing her again sustained him throughout his ordeal.mantener, dar fuerzas
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
sustain
v. sostener, mantener; [a wound] sufrir una herida.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
sustain
vt sostenerEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.