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:
The match swung back and forth, with neither pair able to sustain a telling lead, but three birdies in a row from the 11th gave the Swedes a two-hole lead.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
If IL1RAP is helping sustain the tumor's protective system, disrupting it could make those defenses easier to break down.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
"But now I'm out here among hundreds of people, doing what I must to keep this movement alive - and to sustain the hope they have placed in us."
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“The show isn’t just where you hear the music; it’s where an artist builds a community, develops other artists and creates a brand that can sustain a career,” Naiman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
He knows he's supposed to honor his country and his leaders, and that means to obey, honor, and sustain its laws.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The lake's extreme briny environment sustains algae blooms that attract flamboyances of pink flamingos that thrive in the area.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 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
In Chandler and Pierre, “Lanterns” has an extraordinary pairing that sustains enough frustration, humor, passion and regret to keep us rapt through the episodes provided for review.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 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
It has rich soils, reliable moderate rainfall, and a suitable climate that sustains bountiful agriculture today.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
The economy hasn’t grown 3% on a sustained basis since the 1990s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
The Welsh government said it would consider the finding's "carefully", and that it wanted to deliver a "sustained national focus on babies, children, and young people's health".
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Tight end George Kittle, who sustained a torn right Achilles tendon last season, is expected to play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Lowell packed sustained winds of around 110 mph during its closest approach, with predictions of rainfall of four to eight inches for Kauai producing the potential for significant flash flooding and mudslides.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
The fortifications at Jericho were an enterprise of this kind, requiring sustained and specialized labor over a long period.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
But actually attaining and sustaining that growth is what’s difficult.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Meanwhile, left tackle Rashawn Slater, who missed all of last season after sustaining a knee injury in training camp, was sidelined for much of August because of a flare-up to that same knee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Grealish spent last season with the Toffees, scoring twice and providing six assists in 20 appearances, before sustaining a season-ending foot injury in January.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The U.S. launched what it described as an unprecedented campaign to cripple Iran’s economy by cutting off “every remaining lifeline” sustaining the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 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
Vocabulary lists containing sustain
List 2
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"Joyas Voladoras" by Brian Doyle
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Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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