sustain
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:
"Without these funds, we face critical shortfalls that threaten our ability to also simply pay our service members, rapidly replenish equipment and munitions, and sustain vital operations without disruption," Hegseth said.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Intense rainfall may fall in the wrong locations, run off too quickly, or fail to recharge the systems that sustain the lakes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Moonshot AI noted that the system is uniquely built to operate with "minimal human supervision" to sustain tasks such as engineering and coding.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
And Capital One analyst Connor Murphy is newly upbeat about the potential for shares of Palo Alto Networks to sustain momentum.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
“Mean to her? It will mean she has lost her pet tiger. That’s all. She is Caesar’s daughter. She must learn to sustain such trivial losses.”
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
![]()
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
He told me his Aztec rain god was painted in recognition of the agricultural economy that sustains the students’ families.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 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
That which sustains the universe beyond thought and language, and that which is at the core of us and struggles for expression, is the same thing.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
![]()
PC Harper was 28 years old when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
India’s slower trajectory owes at least as much to bureaucratic drag, corruption and the absence of sustained central planning around core technologies as to reservations, as India’s quotas are called.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
And then in 2024 he masterminded the Kursk attack -- the first sustained foreign incursion into Russia since WWII.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
With exports constrained by port capacity, it is likely that 4 million to 4.5 million barrels a day has been Yanbu’s maximum sustained capacity, said Robin Mills, CEO of Qamar Energy, a consultancy in Dubai.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Nicholson looked up at him, and sustained the look—detaining him.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
![]()
Technologies developed for sustaining life on Mars, including desiccation-resistant crops and efficient closed-loop life support systems, could improve sustainability on Earth.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
It forecasts the Australian gold industry’s all-in sustaining costs to increase by roughly A$150/oz in FY 2027 and for cost inflation to be a key theme of upcoming annual guidance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
In the lead for the Financial Times are Nato Chief Mark Rutte's comments that "Europe's rearmament is sustaining 195,000 US defence jobs".
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Norrie's lack of match time since sustaining a rib injury before last month's French Open showed when the 26th seed lost to American qualifier Michael Zheng.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Between songs Mr. Switzer competed with the DJ for attention, calling out noise level readings and the probability of sustaining permanent hearing loss from the evening’s festivities.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
![]()
Vocabulary lists containing sustain
List 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Joyas Voladoras" by Brian Doyle
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!