sustain

verb

sə-ˈstān How to pronounce sustain (audio)
Definition of sustainnext
1
as in to nurture
to supply with nourishment a granola bar should sustain you long enough to last until lunch

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2
as in to undergo
to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it sustained serious injuries in the car crash

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3
as in to endure
to put up with (something painful or difficult) I won't sustain such insolence!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to carry
to hold up or serve as a foundation for that old chair won't sustain your weight

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sustain Instead, Price opts for slow builds and gratifying payoffs, creating a tension that sustains the momentum of the record without getting lost in the details. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 3 July 2026 The company may be showing some signs of financial stabilization, but sustaining a turnaround will depend on whether change takes hold throughout the entire organization. — Andrew Staples, Fortune, 3 July 2026 The goal is to provide any services needed to allow residents to sustain permanent housing and to create a mutually supportive community. — Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026 Faster processors require storage that can sustain high throughput without creating thermal bottlenecks or consuming additional internal space. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for sustain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sustain
  1. nurture
  2. undergo
  3. endure
  4. carry
  5. satisfy
  6. experience
  7. tolerate
  8. support
Verb
  • As the nurturing Moon enters your 4th House of Home and Family, comfort wants structure and small domestic systems feel soothing.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2026
  • Instead, these events may have developed to nurture feelings of closeness in large groups in much the same way as social grooming does between pairs of apes.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 July 2026
Definition of nurture
Verb
  • North Field on Tinian, which was once the busiest airport in the world, was shut down after the war but is undergoing renovation to become an alternate base to Guam as Washington tries to disperse its assets around the region.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • It is recommended that any batteries in devices that will be stored for significant periods should undergo a maintenance routine to maintain their health by charging them to half capacity every six months.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of undergo
Verb
  • Led by husband-and-wife team Austin and Olivia Kelleher, each headcover is made in the Hudson Valley and embodies sustainability, artistry, and the enduring spirit of the game.
    — RS Editors, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2026
  • The teaser opens with a young Jean Valjean enduring the brutal years of his imprisonment before fast-forwarding to his new life and the inevitable pursuit by Inspector Javert, played by Tahar Rahim.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026
Definition of endure
Verb
  • In Orange County, its vector control district reported its first disease-carrying mosquitoes in Newport Beach on June 2.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Refrain from entering water that might carry an electric current and avoid walking through floodwaters.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of carry
Verb
  • The pledge did not immediately satisfy hardline conservatives, who ground operations in the House to a halt last week.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • The problem is that, even though the product satisfies the need, the consumer didn't care.
    — David Mahbub, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of satisfy
Verb
  • Your unconventional ideas land better when people can experience them instead of only hearing about them.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 5 July 2026
  • BoccaLupo isn’t known for happy hour, but their tasting menu is a great way to experience a lot for a relatively low price.
    — Blair Crosby, AJC.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of experience
Verb
  • Beyond that, a truce means whatever the negotiators will tolerate as long as none backs out of talks.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
  • Today’s challenge is building genuine relationships, creating strong global teams, and leveraging diversity rather than merely tolerating it.
    — Andy Molinsky, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of tolerate
Verb
  • During a 2019-20 artist residency with New York City’s Department of Records and Information Services, Weist mined municipal archives for records revealing how city government had defined, supported and monitored past artists.
    — Rhoda Feng, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Developed by L3Harris Technologies under the Combat Mission Systems Support framework, the system will be operated by the command's Space Delta 3 (DEL 3) – Space Electromagnetic Warfare, with acquisition and sustainment supported by System Delta 89.
    — David Szondy July 06, New Atlas, 7 July 2026
Definition of support

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suspiring
sustain
sustainable
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Cite this Entry

“Sustain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sustain. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of sustain for Spanish Speakers

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