sustain
Usage
What are other ways to say sustain?
To sustain, a rather elevated word, suggests completeness and adequacy in supporting: The court sustained his claim. To support is to hold up or add strength to, literally or figuratively: The columns support the roof. To maintain is to support so as to preserve intact: to maintain an attitude of defiance. Uphold applies especially to supporting or backing another, as in a statement, opinion, or belief: to uphold the rights of a minority.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Having the flexibility to sustain your lifestyle in a down market is a nice cushion to rest your head on at night.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
That likely means investors need both Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and better than expected earnings growth to sustain the market’s sudden cease-fire optimism.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
In their statement on Tuesday, the UN agencies called on the international community to sustain funding for Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
LLMs do something qualitatively different: They create and sustain private, personalized, open-ended dialogue that builds on itself and follows the user’s thinking wherever it leads.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
Wives took up work outside the home, earning what they could to sustain their families over the rough patch.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
Vocabulary lists containing sustain
List 2
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Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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"Joyas Voladoras" by Brian Doyle
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