withstandwith‧stand /wɪðˈstænd, wɪθ-/ ●○○ verb (past tense and past participle withstood /-ˈstʊd/) [transitive] 
Word Origin Examples
This fabric can withstand steam and high temperatures.2to defend yourself successfully against people who attack, criticize, or oppose you SYN stand up to: The Chancellor has withstood the criticism and held firm.
Word OriginWORD ORIGINwithstand
Verb TableOrigin:
Old English withstandan, from with ‘against’ + standan ‘to stand’VERB TABLE
withstand
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | withstand |
| he, she, it | withstands | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | withstood |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have withstood |
| he, she, it | has withstood | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had withstood |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will withstand |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have withstood |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am withstanding |
| he, she, it | is withstanding | |
| you, we, they | are withstanding | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was withstanding |
| you, we, they | were withstanding | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been withstanding |
| he, she, it | has been withstanding | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been withstanding |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be withstanding |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been withstanding |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Collocations- Owens has withstood many attacks on his leadership.
- The bridge is built to withstand an earthquake of 8.3 magnitude.
- An epidemic of such proportions that nothing could withstand it.
- It can withstand knocks, is low-odour and quick-drying.
- It must also be robust enough to withstand the wear and tear of the postal system and the editor's desk.
- Lind also installed carpeting that could withstand the impact of the wheels.
- Rear-facing safety seats can not withstand deployment of an airbag, the agency said.
- The plant is sensitive to alkaline conditions and prefers cool waters but temporarily withstands higher temperatures.
- They might dislike what he did but could not withstand what he was as a result of doing it.
- Working copy: not likely to withstand further toil.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN► ability
1to be strong enough to remain unharmed by something such as great heat, cold, pressure etc SYN resist, stand up to: · Some doubted its ability to withstand rough weather.· Similarly, much depends on the armed forces' ability to withstand the cartels' attempts to penetrate and co-opt them.· Democratic states, like all others, survive through their ability to withstand external threats.· However, the spadefoot's body tissues have the remarkable ability to withstand the loss of large amounts of water.· Healthy root development is reflected in robust top growth and an ability to withstand drought, pest and disease problems.· It is evidence of cricket's longevity, of its ability to withstand changing moods.· These animals possess the remarkable ability to withstand intense heat and drought for prolonged periods of time.· Practitioners respect its low toxicity and its ability to withstand the enormous pressures generated in the back teeth.
► onslaught· River organisms' ability to survive the disruption of floods was never evolved to withstand this kind of onslaught.· It seemed to withstand the onslaught of bicycles, tricycles and roller skates with scarcely a scratch to show.· Could my various injuries withstand the onslaught?· The body of the adult human, however, can often withstand this chemical onslaught and ultimately recover fully.· Hardliners reckon that without him they could not withstand a reformist onslaught for long.
► plant· While companies talk about sustainable agriculture, they create plant varieties that can withstand being sprayed by their most virulent herbicides.· No animal or plant can withstand ultraviolet radiation in more than modest amounts.
► pressure· Divided élite leading the assault upon itself may be in no position to withstand the pressures of a restless population.· The tendons increase the curvature of the balloon's skin and mean the material can withstand greater pressures.· It was hard to believe that this clumsy box of bricks was strong enough to withstand the pressure of its wings.· Little more persuasive is the argument that under another tsar the regime could have withstood revolutionary pressure indefinitely.· This particular P.C. may be a very strong-minded man and be determined to withstand the pressure being brought upon him.· The domes are made of a steel-nickel alloy which can withstand high pressure and even explosions.· The hero shrew has an armoured backbone that can withstand enormous pressure.· I can withstand the pressures of the system.
► scrutiny· Other popular myths also fail to withstand close scrutiny.· None of that would matter much if the material could withstand the scrutiny.· Efforts to stain paper artificially to give an appearance of age have little hope of withstanding careful scrutiny.· Dogmas that could not withstand scrutiny withered, while those that accommodated observations and questioning prospered.· But neither he nor his flat tax could withstand the media scrutiny and attacks from Dole and much of the Republican establishment.
► temperature· But one inventor thinks he has the answer - a building material made of straw that can withstand very high temperatures.· The plant is sensitive to alkaline conditions and prefers cool waters but temporarily withstands higher temperatures.· Of course different clays can withstand different firing temperatures before they vitrify and lose their structural integrity.· Sensitivity Orfe are generally a very hardy species and can easily withstand the cold winter temperatures that will occur in the pond.
VERB► design· It is designed to withstand the sort of storm that statistically would be expected to occur once in every 10,000 years.· Also, tidal power generators must be designed to withstand severe wave action and the corrosive effects of seawater.· The transporters are designed to withstand accidents and until recently the Govenrment ruled out any possibility of a radioactive leak.· Earlier this month the MoD repeated its claim that transporters are designed to withstand major accidents.· The pto is designed to withstand the engine's high torque.· Most disc harrows are of rugged, heavy-duty construction designed to withstand extremely tough working conditions.· The pressure bearings into which the rotors were set had been designed to withstand the strongest winds with a margin of safety.
This fabric can withstand steam and high temperatures.2to defend yourself successfully against people who attack, criticize, or oppose you SYN stand up to: The Chancellor has withstood the criticism and held firm.