sustain

sustain — verb

1. to make something go on happening or stay at the same level without dropping

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to make something go on happening or stay at the same level without dropping

Example

The team sustained their lead throughout the second half of the game.

sustain + lead / advantage

Despite the crisis, the company sustained its regular payments to shareholders.

Common collocations
  • sustain growth
  • sustain interest
  • sustain a conversation
  • sustain a lead
  • sustain momentum
Synonyms
  • maintain

    more general, often about keeping a state or condition

  • continue

    simpler and more common; can be used without an object

  • keep up

    informal; often implies effort is needed

  • prolong

    emphasises extending time, often beyond what is expected

Antonyms
  • stop

    general opposite

  • discontinue

    formal; used in business or official contexts

  • drop

    informal; suggests a sudden end

Grammar Patterns

sustain + noun phrase

Usage Note

Commonly used with abstract nouns such as growth, interest, conversation, effort, or lead. Frequently appears in formal or business contexts.

Common Mistakes

The rain sustained for three hours.
The rain continued for three hours.
sustain is transitive and needs an object; use continue for intransitive situations.
She sustained walking every morning.
She continued walking every morning.
sustain does not replace continue when describing a person's own repeated action.

2. to give a living thing enough food, water, or other basic things so that it stay

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to give a living thing enough food, water, or other basic things so that it stays alive

Example

The refugees had just enough rice and water to sustain them for a few weeks.

sustain + person/group + with necessities

These wide grasslands sustain large herds of wild animals through the dry season.

Common collocations
  • sustain life
  • sustain a population
  • sustain a community
  • sustain the ecosystem
Synonyms
  • nourish

    narrower; specifically about food and nutrients

  • feed

    more concrete and everyday

  • support

    broader; can include non-physical help

Antonyms
  • starve

    to cause to suffer or die from lack of food

  • deprive

    to take away the necessities of life

Grammar Patterns

sustain + person/animal/plant

Usage Note

The subject is typically a food supply, water source, ecosystem, or resource. The object is a living thing or a group.

Common Mistakes

Water sustains thirst.
Water sustains life.
sustain means to keep alive, not to relieve a feeling.

3. to experience something painful, harmful, or damaging, such as an injury, a loss

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to experience something painful, harmful, or damaging, such as an injury, a loss, or defeat

Example

The company sustained heavy losses during the economic downturn last year.

sustain + losses / damage / injury

Several buildings in the village sustained serious damage in the earthquake.

Common collocations
  • sustain losses
  • sustain damage
  • sustain an injury
  • sustain a defeat
  • sustain a setback
Synonyms
  • suffer

    more general; can be used with or without an object

  • undergo

    suggests a process or change over time

  • experience

    neutral; works for positive or negative situations

Antonyms
  • avoid

    to prevent something bad from happening

Grammar Patterns

sustain + damage/loss/injury

Usage Note

Commonly appears with negative nouns: loss, damage, injury, defeat, setback. Not used for positive experiences — you cannot sustain a win or a gift.

Common Mistakes

The company sustained a new contract with a client.
The company sustained heavy losses.
when sustain means to suffer, it must be something negative.

4. to give someone the emotional strength or encouragement needed to get through a

4.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to give someone the emotional strength or encouragement needed to get through a difficult time

Example

Her friends' encouragement sustained Stephanie through the long months of recovery.

sustain + person + through + difficult period

The hope of seeing his family again sustained Cole during his years in prison.

Common collocations
  • sustain someone through
  • sustain hope
  • faith sustains
  • friendship sustains
Synonyms
  • support

    more general; covers emotional, practical, and financial help

  • encourage

    more active; giving direct reassurance

  • strengthen

    focuses on building inner resilience

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

sustain + person (emotionally)

Usage Note

Often describes how hope, faith, friendship, or encouragement helps someone endure hardship. Frequently used with the preposition through.

5. to hold up the weight of something physically, keeping it from falling or breaki

5.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to hold up the weight of something physically, keeping it from falling or breaking

Example

The old wooden beams can no longer sustain the weight of the heavy roof.

sustain + weight / load / pressure

The bridge was designed to sustain the weight of heavy truck traffic.

Common collocations
  • sustain weight
  • sustain a load
  • sustain pressure
  • sustain the roof
Synonyms
  • support

    more common in everyday language about physical weight

  • bear

    similar formality; often used with weight or burden

  • hold up

    informal phrasal verb

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

sustain + weight / load / pressure

Usage Note

Typically used for structures, surfaces, and materials. Unlike support, sustain in this sense emphasises that the item does not break or give way under the load.

6. to decide or state that a claim, argument, or legal decision is correct, valid,

6.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to decide or state that a claim, argument, or legal decision is correct, valid, or acceptable

Example

The appeals court sustained the lower court's ruling on the property dispute.

legal: sustain + ruling / objection / appeal

The judge sustained the objection, and the statement was removed from the record.

Common collocations
  • sustain an objection
  • sustain a ruling
  • sustain an appeal
  • sustain a charge
  • sustain a claim
  • sustain a theory
Synonyms
  • uphold

    very similar; common in legal language

  • confirm

    more general; does not imply a formal ruling

  • validate

    emphasises proving that something is correct

  • support

    broader and less formal

Antonyms
  • overrule

    specific to legal contexts; to reject a ruling or objection

  • reject

    general opposite

  • deny

    refuse to accept as valid

Grammar Patterns

sustain + objection/ruling/claim/argument

Usage Note

Very common in legal language. Courts sustain objections, rulings, appeals, and convictions. In academic or formal settings, evidence or arguments can sustain a theory or position.

Common Mistakes

The judge sustained the injured man.
The judge sustained the objection.
in legal contexts, sustain takes a ruling or argument as its object, not a person.

sustain — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Sustain, maintain, and continue all share the idea of keeping something going, but with different emphases. Maintain focuses on preserving a state or condition without letting it worsen (e.g., maintain good relations with neighbours). Sustain adds the notion of effort or external resources needed to keep something running over time, which is why it suits discussions of growth, interest, or momentum. Continue is the most general and neutral term, simply meaning not to stop, with no implication of effort or difficulty. Prolong specifically means to extend something in time, often beyond what is typical or expected (e.g., prolong the meeting by half an hour). Keep up is more informal and suggests ongoing effort in everyday contexts (e.g., keep up the good work). For example: a team sustains its lead under pressure from the opponent; the game simply continues after a break.

maintain ↗keep up ↗continue ↗prolong ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • able to sustain
  • difficult to sustain
  • enough to sustain
  • help sustain
  • help to sustain

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Sustain comes from the Latin word sustinere, which combines sus- (meaning 'up from below') and tenere (meaning 'to hold'). So the original idea was 'to hold up from underneath' — a meaning that survives in the sense of physically bearing weight. The word travelled into English through Old French sustenir around the 13th century, and over time its meaning expanded to include keeping something going in time, supporting someone emotionally, and confirming an argument as valid.