sus|tain

sus|tain
sus|tain «suh STAYN», transitive verb.
1. to keep up; keep going; maintain; prolong: »

Hope sustains him in his misery. The arts by which he sustains the reader's interest (Benjamin Jowett). ... Sympathy's sustaining bread (Louisa May Alcott).

SYNONYM(S): aid, assist, comfort.
2. to supply as with food or provisions: »

to sustain a family. She eats barely enough to sustain life.

3. to hold up; support: »

Columns and arches sustain the weight of the roof.

4. to bear; endure: »

The sea wall sustains the shock of the waves.

SYNONYM(S): withstand, stand.
5. to suffer; experience: »

to sustain a broken leg. She sustained a great loss in the death of her husband.

SYNONYM(S): undergo.
6. to allow; admit; favor: »

The court sustained his claim.

7. to agree with; confirm: »

The facts sustain her theory.

SYNONYM(S): corroborate, sanction.
[< Anglo-French sustein-, stem of sustenir < Latin sustinēre < sub- (from) under + tenēre to hold]
sus|tain´er, noun.

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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  • sus|tain´er — sus|tain «suh STAYN», transitive verb. 1. to keep up; keep going; maintain; prolong: »Hope sustains him in his misery. The arts by which he sustains the reader s interest (Benjamin Jowett). ... Sympathy s sustaining bread (Louisa May Alcott).… …   Useful english dictionary

  • sus|tain|ed|ly — «suh STAY nihd lee», adverb. in a sustained manner …   Useful english dictionary

  • sus|tain|a|ble — «suh STAY nuh buhl», adjective. 1. that can be sustained. 2. following principles of conservation and ecological balance: »Sustainable farming practices may use natural predators in place of pesticides; Some environmentalists say the whole notion …   Useful english dictionary

  • sus|tain|er engine — «suh STAY nuhr», a rocket engine that maintains the speed reached by a booster engine …   Useful english dictionary

  • sus|tain|ing program — «suh STAY nihng», a radio or television program having no commercial sponsor but maintained at the expense of a station or network …   Useful english dictionary

  • sus|tain|ment — «suh STAYN muhnt», noun. 1. the act of sustaining. 2. the state of being sustained. 3. a person or thing that sustains; means of support; sustenance …   Useful english dictionary

  • sus·tain — …   Useful english dictionary

  • self-sus|tain|ing — «SEHLF suh STAY nihng», adjective. 1. = self supporting. (Cf. ↑self supporting) 2. proceeding automatically once it has been started: »a self sustaining chain reaction …   Useful english dictionary

  • un|sus|tain|a|ble — «UHN suh STAY nuh buhl», adjective. not sustainable; not to be supported, maintained, upheld, or corroborated …   Useful english dictionary

  • sus·tain·able — …   Useful english dictionary

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