səˈstān verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English susteinen, sustenen, from Old French sustenir, from Latin sustinēre to hold up, sustain, from sus- (variant of sub- up) + -tinēre (from tenēre to hold) — more at sub- , thin
transitive verb
1. : to give support (as military support) to : uphold by aiding or backing up : furnish relief to
if the director be sustained in the general endeavor to make the observatory useful — Cleveland Abbe
they had behind them no great organization such as that which sustained French and his colleagues — F.W.Crofts
the officer witnesses … with a record of service to their country to sustain them — H.W.Baldwin
2. : to provide for the support or maintenance of : supply with sustenance : nourish
plant life sustains the living world — D.C.Peattie
commitment of trained men to the machines that sustain war — C.W.deKiewiet
the sort of defense which our economy can sustain — W.F.Knowland
settlements along the seacoast … are sustained by the fishing trade — American Guide Series: New Jersey
preached as he never preached before, sustaining himself with lemon juice and vegetables — Time
3.
a. : to cause to continue (as in existence or a certain state or in force or intensity) : to keep up especially without interruption, diminution, or flagging : maintain , prolong
found it difficult to sustain an interest in their talk — L.C.Douglas
the sort of writing which early established and has long sustained his reputation — Bliss Perry
policies which they said would be needed to sustain prosperity — Fritz Sternberg
the civil war period was lived at a high tension that could not be sustained — H.L.Matthews
dissatisfaction with the work of the legislatures sustains the efforts of those critics — A.N.Holcombe
difficult for even the most attentive and genuinely musical listener to sustain maximum attention every minute — Hunter Mead
too fatigued to sustain a consecutive conversation — Lucien Price
b.
(1) : to allow (a musical tone) to sound without dying away as long as the rhythm will permit
(2) : to play (a musical composition or part) in legato style
4.
a. : to bear up from or as if from below : support the weight of : hold up : prop
bones are the solid elements of structure that sustain the body — Morris Fishbein
pins suitable for sustaining kilts — Ashley Halsey
b. : to carry or withstand (a weight or pressure)
the dam … could not sustain the heavy head of water — American Guide Series: Minnesota
beam … had to be much thicker in order to sustain even the same weight — S.F.Mason
5. : to prevent (as one's mind or spirit) from sinking or giving way : buoy up
the scientist … is sustained, as are the religious, by a profound and unshakable faith — P.B.Sears
excitement sustained me — Polly Adler
hope that had sustained them — Frank Yerby
sustain the morale of the civilian population — R.D.W.Connor
I read history to sustain myself in the violent confusions of these years — Ralph Bates
comfort and sustain the parents — Agnes S. Turnbull
6. : endure: as
a. : to submit to without failing or yielding : bear up under
I couldn't sustain such an act — Rex Ingamells
a man bravely sustaining the burden of fear — Time
he would wonder whether he could ever again sustain a year's teaching — Lucien Price
b. : to bear as an affliction : to bear with suffering
the tremendous nervous shock which has been sustained — H.G.Armstrong
sustained a concussion of the brain — Allan Nevins
c. : suffer , receive , undergo
must be prepared to sustain heavy losses — Bruce Bliven b. 1889
the walls of its building bear bullet scars sustained in a riot — American Guide Series: New York City
7.
a. : to support as true, legal, or just ; sometimes : contend
b. : to allow or admit as valid
the court sustained the motion
8. : to support by adequate proof : establish , corroborate , confirm
testimony that sustains our contention
a thesis which no one … could conceivably sustain — Times Literary Supplement
9. : to act the part of (a character)
no reason why she should not have sustained both roles — Anthony Powell
directing that no letter or message be received on any occasion whatsoever from the enemy … but such as should be directed to them in the characters they respectively sustained — H.E.Scudder
intransitive verb
: bear , maintain
beyond a country's capacity to sustain , it recommended grants rather than loans — Americas
Synonyms: see experience , support