sustained

1 of 2

adjective

sus·​tained sə-ˈstānd How to pronounce sustained (audio)
Synonyms of sustained
: maintained at length without interruption or weakening : lasting, prolonged
sustained winds
providing sustained support
sustained applause
sustained flight
They can run at sustained speeds of up to 19 mph for considerable distances, and usually only make short flights in order to escape danger or flush prey.—Marcy Scott
This degenerative disorder is theoretically caused by excessive and sustained forces of compression.—Tracy A. Turner

sustained

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of sustain entry 1

Examples of sustained in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Many voters thank him ​for pulling Serbia from economic obscurity and orchestrating a period of sustained modernisation including new highways, railways, schools and hospitals. — Reuters, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2026 Of those injured, authorities said 11 sustained gunshot wounds. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 China has deliberately used tax policy to encourage sustained research. — Rick Lazio, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026 Canada doubled down on its historic 24-21 win in Toronto last week with sustained defensive pressure and a withering three-try burst in nine minutes around the hour mark. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sustained

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1775, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sustained was in 1775

Phrases Containing sustained

Rhymes for sustained

See All Rhymes for sustained

Browse Nearby Words

sustainable
sustained
sustained-release
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sustained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sustained. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on sustained

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sustained

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All