sustain
verb OPAL W
/səˈsteɪn/
/səˈsteɪn/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they sustain | /səˈsteɪn/ /səˈsteɪn/ |
| he / she / it sustains | /səˈsteɪnz/ /səˈsteɪnz/ |
| past simple sustained | /səˈsteɪnd/ /səˈsteɪnd/ |
| past participle sustained | /səˈsteɪnd/ /səˈsteɪnd/ |
| -ing form sustaining | /səˈsteɪnɪŋ/ /səˈsteɪnɪŋ/ |
- sustain somebody/something to provide enough of what somebody/something needs in order to live or exist
- Which planets can sustain life?
- I only had a little chocolate to sustain me on my walk.
- The love and support of his family sustained him during his time in prison.
- When she lost her job they could no longer sustain their expensive lifestyle.
- The soil was so badly eroded it could no longer sustain crop production.
- sustain something to make something continue for some time without becoming less synonym maintain
- She managed to sustain everyone's interest until the end of her speech.
- Kangaroos can sustain high speeds over long distances.
- the sustaining pedal of a piano (= that allows a note to continue sounding for a long time)
- This relationship would be very difficult to sustain.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- no longer
- barely
- indefinitely
- …
- be able to
- can
- be unable to
- …
- sustain something (formal) to experience something bad synonym suffer
- to sustain damage/an injury/a defeat
- The company sustained losses of millions of dollars.
- sustain something to provide evidence to support an opinion, a theory, etc. synonym uphold
- The evidence is not detailed enough to sustain his argument.
- sustain something (formal) to support a weight without breaking or falling synonym bear
- The ice will not sustain your weight.
- sustain something (law) to decide that a claim, etc. is true or legally valid synonym uphold
- The court sustained his claim that the contract was illegal.
- Objection sustained! (= said by a judge when a lawyer makes an objection in court)
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French soustenir, from Latin sustinere, from sub- ‘from below’ + tenere ‘hold’.