Adjacent Words

Sustain definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SUSTA'IN, v.t. [L. sustineo; sub and teneo, to hold under.]
1. To bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains the superstructure; pillars sustain an edifice; a beast sustains a load.
2. To hold; to keep from falling; as, a rope sustains a weight.
3. To support; to keep from sinking in despondence. The hope of a better life sustains the afflicted amidst all their sorrows.
4. To maintain; to keep alive; to support; to subsist; as provisions to sustain a family or an army.
5. To support in any condition by aid; to assist or relieve.
His sons, who seek the tyrant to sustain.
6. To bear; to endure without failing or yielding. The mind stands collected and sustains the shock.
Shall Turnus then such endless toil sustain?
7. To suffer; to bear; to undergo.
You shall sustain more new disgraces.
8. To maintain; to support; not to dismiss or abate. Notwithstanding the plea in bar or in abatement, the court sustained the action or suit.
9. To maintain as a sufficient ground. The testimony or the evidence is not sufficient to sustain the action, the accusation, the charges, or the impeachment.
10. In music, to continue, as the sound of notes through their whole length.
SUSTA'IN, n. That which upholds. [Not in use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: 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" [syn: prolong, sustain, keep up]
2: 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" [syn: suffer, sustain, have, get]
3: provide with nourishment; "We sustained ourselves on bread and water"; "This kind of food is not nourishing for young children" [syn: nourish, nurture, sustain]
4: 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" [syn: sustain, keep, maintain]
5: 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?" [syn: hold, support, sustain, hold up]
6: admit as valid; "The court sustained the motion"
7: establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts; "his story confirmed my doubts"; "The evidence supports the defendant" [syn: confirm, corroborate, sustain, substantiate, support, affirm] [ant: contradict, negate]

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English sustenen, from Anglo-French sustein-, stem of sustenir, from Latin sustin?re to hold up, sustain, from sub-, sus- up + ten?re to hold — more at sub-, thin Date: 13th century 1. to give support or relief to 2. to supply with sustenance ; nourish 3. keep up, prolong 4. to support the weight of ; prop; also to carry or withstand (a weight or pressure) 5. to buoy up <sustained by hope> 6. a. to bear up under b. suffer, undergo <sustained heavy losses> 7. a. to support as true, legal, or just b. to allow or admit as valid <the court sustained the motion> 8. to support by adequate proof ; confirm <testimony that sustains our contention> • sustainedly adverb • sustainer noun II. noun Date: 1972 a musical effect that prolongs a note's resonance <utilizing heavy sustain on his guitar — Bill Dahl>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 support, bear the weight of, esp. for a long period. 2 give strength to; encourage, support. 3 (of food) give nourishment to. 4 endure, stand; bear up against. 5 undergo or suffer (defeat or injury etc.). 6 (of a court etc.) uphold or decide in favour of (an objection etc.). 7 substantiate or corroborate (a statement or charge). 8 maintain or keep (a sound, effort, etc.) going continuously. 9 continue to represent (a part, character, etc.) adequately. Derivatives: sustainable adj. sustainedly adv. sustainer n. sustainment n. Etymology: ME f. AF sustein-, OF so(u)stein- stressed stem of so(u)stenir f. L sustinere sustent- (as SUB-, tenere hold)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sustain Sus*tain", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sustained; p. pr. & vb. n. Sustaining.] [OE. sustenen, susteinen, OF. sustenir, sostenir, F. soutenir (the French prefix is properly fr. L. subtus below, fr. sub under), L. sustinere; pref. sus- (see Sub-) + tenere to hold. See Tenable, and cf. Sustenance.] 1. To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains the superstructure; a beast sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight. Every pillar the temple to sustain. --Chaucer. 2. Hence, to keep from sinking, as in despondence, or the like; to support. No comfortable expectations of another life to sustain him under the evils in this world. --Tillotson. 3. To maintain; to keep alive; to support; to subsist; to nourish; as, provisions to sustain an army. 4. To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate. --Shak. His sons, who seek the tyrant to sustain. --Dryden. 5. To endure without failing or yielding; to bear up under; as, to sustain defeat and disappointment. 6. To suffer; to bear; to undergo. Shall Turnus, then, such endless toil sustain? --Dryden. You shall sustain more new disgraces. --Shak. 7. To allow the prosecution of; to admit as valid; to sanction; to continue; not to dismiss or abate; as, the court sustained the action or suit. 8. To prove; to establish by evidence; to corroborate or confirm; to be conclusive of; as, to sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition. Syn: To support; uphold; subsist; assist; relieve; suffer; undergo.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sustain Sus*tain", n. One who, or that which, upholds or sustains; a sustainer. [Obs.] I waked again, for my sustain was the Lord. --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(sustains, sustaining, sustained) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you sustain something, you continue it or maintain it for a period of time. But he has sustained his fierce social conscience from young adulthood through old age... ...a period of sustained economic growth throughout 1995. VERB: V n, V-ed 2. If you sustain something such as a defeat, loss, or injury, it happens to you. (FORMAL) Every aircraft in there has sustained some damage... A seventeen-year-old tourist died late last night of injuries sustained in yesterday's bomb blast. VERB: V n, V-ed 3. If something sustains you, it supports you by giving you help, strength, or encouragement. (FORMAL) The cash dividends they get from the cash crop would sustain them during the lean season... VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Bear, support, uphold, hold up, keep from falling. 2. Nourish, maintain, support, subsist, keep alive, supply with food. 3. Aid, comfort, relieve, assist. 4. Suffer, undergo, endure, bear. 5. Sanction, approve, confirm, ratify. 6. Justify, prove, establish, confirm. 7. (Mus.) Continue, hold.

Moby Thesaurus

abide, abide with, admit, advocate, affirm, afford support, allege in support, allow, answer, approve, argue for, assert, attest, authenticate, authorize, back, back up, be exposed to, be subjected to, bear, bear out, bear up, bear up under, bear with, beef up, befriend, bide, board, bolster, bolster up, brace, brace up, brave, bread, brook, buoy, buoy up, buttress, care for, carry, carry on, case harden, certify, champion, cherish, circumstantiate, coddle, confirm, conserve, contend for, continue, continue to be, copyright, corroborate, cosset, counter, cradle, crutch, cultivate, cushion, defeat time, defend, defy time, digest, dine, document, dry-nurse, dwell, encounter, endorse, endure, espouse, exist, experience, extend, favor, feed, feel, finance, float, float high, fodder, fondle, forage, fortify, foster, fund, gird, give support, go, go on, go through, grass, gratify, graze, guard, hang in, hang in there, hang tough, harden, have, hold, hold on, hold out, hold up, invigorate, keep, keep afloat, keep alive, keep going, keep intact, keep inviolate, keep on, keep safe, keep up, know, labor under, last, last long, last out, lavish care on, lend support, lengthen, live, live on, live through, lug, lump, lump it, mainstay, maintain, make a plea, meat, meet, meet up with, meet with, mess, mother, nerve, not destroy, not endanger, not expend, not use up, not waste, nourish, nurse, nurture, nutrify, pack, pamper, pass through, pasture, patent, pay, perdure, perennate, perpetuate, persevere, persist, persist in, pillow, plead for, preserve, prevail, probate, prolong, prop, prop up, protect, protract, prove, provision, put up with, ratify, rebut, recognize, refresh, refute, regale, register, reinforce, reinvigorate, remain, reply, respond, restrengthen, retain, ride high, riposte, run, run on, run up against, sanction, satisfy, save, say in defense, see, shore, shore up, shoulder, spare, speak for, speak up for, spend, spoon-feed, stand, stand by, stand for, stand under, stand up for, stay, stay on, steel, stick, stick up for, stiffen, stomach, strengthen, subsidize, subsist, substantiate, subvention, subventionize, suckle, suffer, support, survive, take up with, tarry, taste, temper, tide over, tolerate, tote, toughen, underbrace, undergird, undergo, underlie, underpin, underset, upbear, uphold, upkeep, uplift, upraise, urge reasons for, validate, verify, waft, warrant, wear, wear well, weather, wet-nurse, wine and dine, withstand