sustained

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

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.
Instead, her license was approved without any kind of sustained scrutiny. — Rhoda Feng, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 There was no connectivity, no creativity, no sustained possession, no urgency or poise on the back line. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 7 July 2026 Heavier platform trades some mobility for greater sustained firepower. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 7 July 2026 The storm had maximum sustained winds over 180 mph, with winds expected to exceed 150 mph on Rota, according to the National Weather Service. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for sustained

Word History

First Known Use

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 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on sustained

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sustained

Nglish: Translation of sustained for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All