Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

sustain

[suh-steyn] / səˈsteɪn /




Usage

What are other ways to say sustain?

To sustain, a rather elevated word, suggests completeness and adequacy in supporting: The court sustained his claim. To support is to hold up or add strength to, literally or figuratively: The columns support the roof. To maintain is to support so as to preserve intact: to maintain an attitude of defiance. Uphold applies especially to supporting or backing another, as in a statement, opinion, or belief: to uphold the rights of a minority.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“They have set up a system where it’s virtually impossible to sustain a biased policing complaint against an officer,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 24, 2026

"Even when the cause is brutal and the fight fierce," Shah said, "there is joy, laughter, songs and hope. Without those things, protests don't sustain themselves."

From BBC Jul. 22, 2026

"Cockroach movement has made a beginning. We don't know if it will sustain," he said on social media.

From Barron's Jul. 22, 2026

“Ukraine wants the ability to manufacture and sustain their own capabilities, to build sovereign capability around that,” said Giles Ambrose, engineering, technology and strategy director at BAE Systems, a U.K. arms maker.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 21, 2026

“I admire the women in my profession who manage to sustain singing careers and raise families. Perhaps I should have been more daring.”

From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman

Once authorized, the facility will be allowed to load nuclear fuel and begin start-up testing to achieve first criticality—the point at which a reactor sustains a controlled nuclear chain reaction.

From Barron's Jul. 1, 2026

“We are bound to this thing… It sustains us.”

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 26, 2026

“Snowflake and Datadog have seen a reacceleration of revenue from AI. And so we have to see if that sustains, but that’s the best sign you could hope for,” he says.

From MarketWatch Jun. 2, 2026

But unlike the tradwife with her gaggle of youngsters underfoot, the orangutan mother sustains this intense caretaking by spacing her kids seven or so years apart.

From Slate May 10, 2026

One reason just mentioned is that agriculture sustains much higher human population densities than does the hunting-gathering lifestyle—on the average, 10 to 100 times higher.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

He also noted the competition that Treasury market is now “facing from the sustained expansion in tech-related corporate debt issuance.”

From MarketWatch Jul. 26, 2026

Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, said sustained Houthi attacks could materially reduce Red Sea oil flows and “shift the sentiment of ‘the market always finds a workaround’ camp.”

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 26, 2026

If a financial bubble were to burst "or if prices remained in a sustained downward trend, the flow could dry up," said EY's Garcia.

From Barron's Jul. 23, 2026

The authors of the study estimated that their circumscribed findings extrapolated countywide could represent up to $114 million in losses over a month of sustained enforcement.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 22, 2026

But try as she might to reach for that anger, that rage that had sustained her all these months, whenever she grasped for it, she saw Palo Kanta.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

"The two sides underscored the importance of maintaining peace, security, and stability in the region, reducing the risk of miscalculation, and sustaining dialogue on matters of mutual concern," the statement read.

From Barron's Jul. 22, 2026

Reece James: The Chelsea captain said it was "boring" when people discussed his fitness, but the first-choice right-back missed three games after sustaining a hamstring injury against Ghana.

From BBC Jul. 18, 2026

Ord Minnett anticipates Evolution’s all-in sustaining capex will rise by A$200/oz in FY27 compared with the prior 12 months.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 15, 2026

After the goal, U.S. star Christian Pulisic was subbed out after sustaining an apparent leg injury while attempting a shot.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 7, 2026

He was with him when he died, sustaining and comforting him.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton




Vocabulary lists containing sustain


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training