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.
Musk claims Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman improperly used a $38 million donation he had intended to sustain OpenAI as a research lab devoted to developing AI for the benefit of humanity.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
It supports aquatic organisms, helps sustain biodiversity, and influences important biogeochemical processes.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
"You've got to sustain them all year round, feed them all year... you've got your insurance and your vet bills."
From BBC • May 16, 2026
“More consumers are turning to savings and credit to sustain spending,” wrote economists Gregory Daco and Lydia Boussour of EY Parthenon.
From MarketWatch • May 16, 2026
But it was not designed to sustain a sudden impact from a loose three-hundred-kilogram mass.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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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