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sustain

[suh-stayn] / 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:

Because movement-triggered chronic back pain engages different brain networks from ordinary acute pain, researchers believe traditional treatments may fail to address some of the processes that sustain the experience of chronic pain.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

Military leaders say troops can sustain the naval blockade and protect commercial ships for as long as they are called upon to do so.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

“If we can sustain that, we have proven we are not easy to beat. I don’t think a lot of teams want to play us.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Expect the Chancellor to laud the resilience and strength of the UK economy and seek to sustain it, and spread growth geographically.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

Wives took up work outside the home, earning what they could to sustain their families over the rough patch.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

Just a couple of miles into this leg, Bushby's handcart, which he uses to carry essential supplies, sustains a puncture.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

In my first Year of Katie, I’ve come to admire the balance of independence and interdependence, ambition and collaboration that sustains her scrappy, indie-artist life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

If chip sector momentum sustains throughout the day on Monday, that could “clear out the tone and build back positive momentum” from the past few months — “especially in semiconductors,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

But "higher oil prices is likely going to translate into higher prices for the consumer if it sustains at this level."

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 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

While sustained pressure could eventually bite, that would require the Federal Reserve to signal an aggressive return to interest-rate increases, argues Chris Galipeau, head market strategist at Franklin Templeton.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

Britain’s debt reached its highest sustained levels since the early 1960s, and bond yields are at their highest since the late 1990s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

Drought is only over when rivers, groundwater and reservoirs are back to normal levels and according to Philip Duffy, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, we "need sustained rainfall to recover".

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

This threshold refers to sustained global warming rather than a single unusually hot year.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

An hour and twenty minutes after the mountain had first erupted, the cloud cleared enough for Don Swanson to get his first, sustained look at the top of what was left of Mount St. Helens.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

He said sustaining the JPL partnership is a “high priority.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

For thousands of Maine families who rely on lobstering, the stakes in sustaining maritime commerce are high.

From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026

Newmont does expect unit costs to increase in the current quarter, primarily due to higher sustaining capital spend and lower co-product volumes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

With so much competition, Lionesses success is crucial for sustaining momentum in the women's game - but expectations are higher now.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Everyone on the trail dreams of something, usually sweet and gooey, and my sustaining vision had been an outsized slab of pie.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson


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