sustain.
To maintain, or keep in existence.
Meaning & usage
To maintain, or keep in existence.
The professor had trouble sustaining students’ interest until the end of her lectures.
The city came under sustained attack by enemy forces.
To provide for or nourish.
provisions to sustain an army
To encourage or sanction (something).
To experience or suffer (an injury, etc.).
The building sustained major damage in the earthquake.
To confirm, prove, or corroborate; to uphold.
to sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition
To allow, accept, or admit (e.g. an objection or motion) as valid.
To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support.
A foundation sustains the superstructure; an animal sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight.
To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate.
To be a long-lasting sound.
I like how long that drum sustains.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English susteinen, sustenen, from Old French sustenir (French soutenir), from Latin sustineō, sustinēre (“to uphold”), from sub- (“from below, up”) + teneō (“hold”, verb).
A mechanism which can be used to hold a note, as the right pedal on a piano.
Clipping of sustainability.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English susteinen, sustenen, from Old French sustenir (French soutenir), from Latin sustineō, sustinēre (“to uphold”), from sub- (“from below, up”) + teneō (“hold”, verb).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.