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.
See Examples For:
Still, the improvement could prove difficult to sustain, with oil prices moving back above $100 a barrel and Europe facing a tight gas market ahead of winter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The Himalayas are a vast natural water system feeding rivers that sustain hundreds of millions of people across South Asia.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
The match swung back and forth, with neither pair able to sustain a telling lead, but three birdies in a row from the 11th gave the Swedes a two-hole lead.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
If IL1RAP is helping sustain the tumor's protective system, disrupting it could make those defenses easier to break down.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
Foragers roamed the land in small bands that could not sustain epidemics.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
The lake's extreme briny environment sustains algae blooms that attract flamboyances of pink flamingos that thrive in the area.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
“You can only find it in King’s Landing. It sustains itself on the waste of other creatures. It’s beautiful.”
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
Once authorized, the facility will be allowed to load nuclear fuel and begin start-up testing to achieve first criticality—the point at which a reactor sustains a controlled nuclear chain reaction.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Two and a half centuries after its founding, the American experiment faces a familiar question: What manner of leadership sustains a democratic republic over time?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
“Water is important because it sustains life,” I say.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
Researchers do not yet know whether these changes in biomarker profiles will persist over time or lead to sustained biological age reversal.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 16, 2026
But no other foreign nation has drawn such frequent, sustained attention from the world’s richest man as the U.K., according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of 4½ years’ worth of his posts on X.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The courthouse sustained around $35,000 in damage and had to be closed for several days, according to the plea agreement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
The economy hasn’t grown 3% on a sustained basis since the 1990s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
The reluctant Garretts had nourished and sustained Booth for another day.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Prof Sloan added that the university is looking forward to "sustaining a close connection" with the the honorary alumni in the years ahead.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Meanwhile, left tackle Rashawn Slater, who missed all of last season after sustaining a knee injury in training camp, was sidelined for much of August because of a flare-up to that same knee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Grealish spent the 2025-26 season on loan with Everton, making 20 appearances, before sustaining a season-ending foot injury in January.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Goldman’s economists argue that currency revaluation would complement domestic reforms by sustaining growth as the trade surplus shrinks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
In the daylight, the Rezaeis’ house was older and smaller than Mamou’s, the khaki muted enough that I could look at it without sustaining damage to my visual cortex.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Vocabulary lists containing sustain
List 2
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"Joyas Voladoras" by Brian Doyle
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Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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