SUSTAIN: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for SUSTAIN?

Need another word that means the same as “sustain”? Find 60 synonyms and 30 related words for “sustain” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Sustain” are: keep up, prolong, get, have, suffer, hold, hold up, support, nourish, nurture, keep, maintain, affirm, confirm, corroborate, substantiate, comfort, help, assist, encourage, succour, give strength to, be a source of strength to, be a tower of strength to, buoy up, carry, cheer up, hearten, see someone through, bear, stand, prop up, shore up, bolster, underpin, buttress, undergo, experience, go through, endure, steady, round the clock, continue, carry on, keep going, keep alive, keep in existence, preserve, conserve, protract, perpetuate, bolster up, retain, extend, uphold, validate, ratify, vindicate, endorse, approve

Sustain as a Verb

Definitions of "Sustain" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “sustain” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• Supply with necessities and support.
• Be the physical support of; carry the weight of.
• Strengthen or support physically or mentally.
• Lengthen or extend in duration or space.
• Admit as valid.
• Uphold, affirm, or confirm the justice or validity of.
• Cause to continue for an extended period or without interruption.
• (of a performer) represent (a part or character) convincingly.
• Provide with nourishment.
• Bear (the weight of an object) without breaking or falling.
• Establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts.
• Undergo or suffer (something unpleasant, especially an injury.
• Undergo (as of injuries and illnesses.

Synonyms of "Sustain" as a verb (60 Words)

affirm	To declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true. The referendum affirmed the republic s right to secede.
approve	Judge to be right or commendable; think well of. I approve of his educational policies.
assist	Give help or assistance be of service. Funds to assist with capital investment.
be a source of strength to	Form or compose.
be a tower of strength to	Represent, as of a character on stage.
bear	Contain or hold; have within. Bear a signature.
bolster	Prop up with a pillow or bolster. Bolster morale.
bolster up	Support and strengthen.
buoy up	Mark with a buoy.
buttress	Provide a building or structure with buttresses. Buttress your thesis.
carry	Assume or accept (responsibility or blame. The dog was taught to fetch and carry.
carry on	Have as an inherent or characteristic feature or have as a consequence.
cheer up	Give encouragement to.
comfort	Lessen pain or discomfort alleviate. The victim was comforted by friends before being taken to hospital.
confirm	Administer the religious rite of confirmation to. He was confirmed as the new EC peace envoy.
conserve	Use cautiously and frugally. Children must be taught to conserve our national heritage.
continue	Continue in a place position or situation. The weather continued warm and pleasant.
corroborate	Support with evidence or authority or make more certain or confirm. The witness had corroborated the boy s account of the attack.
encourage	Contribute to the progress or growth of. His financial success encouraged him to look for a wife.
endorse	Be behind; approve of. His licence was endorsed with five points.
endure	Remain in existence; last. These cities have endured through time.
experience	Go through mental or physical states or experiences. Experience vertigo.
extend	Stretch out over a distance space time or scope run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point. Extend a hand.
get	Take vengeance on or get even. I ll get the door.
give strength to	Cause to happen or be responsible for.
go through	Go through in search of something search through someone s belongings in an unauthorized way.
have	Have left. Have throw or make a party.
hearten	Make more cheerful or confident. She was heartened to observe that the effect was faintly comic.
help	Help to some food help with food or drink. I helped her up.
hold	Be capable of holding or containing. They hold that all literature is empty of meaning.
hold up	Secure and keep for possible future use or application.
keep	Cause to continue in a certain state position or activity e g keep clean. Keep potatoes fresh.
keep alive	Maintain for use and service.
keep going	Store or keep customarily.
keep in existence	Retain rights to.
keep up	Maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger.
maintain	Maintain by writing regular records. He had persistently maintained that he would not stand against his old friend.
nourish	Give nourishment to. I was doing everything I could to nourish and protect the baby.
nurture	Bring up. For a long time she had nurtured the dream of buying a shop.
perpetuate	Cause to continue or prevail. The confusion was perpetuated through inadvertence.
preserve	Keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction. Preserve the forest and the lakes.
prolong	Lengthen or extend in duration or space. An idea which prolonged the life of the engine by many years.
prop up	Support by placing against something solid or rigid.
protract	Prolong. He had certainly taken his time even protracting the process.
ratify	Sign or give formal consent to (a treaty, contract, or agreement), making it officially valid. Both countries were due to ratify the treaty by the end of the year.
retain	Secure and keep for possible future use or application. This garment retains its shape even after many washings.
round the clock	Pronounce with rounded lips.
see someone through	Get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally.
shore up	Arrive on shore.
stand	Withstand the force of something. My decision stands.
steady	Make or become steady. Steady yourself.
substantiate	Represent in bodily form. Our ideas must be substantiated into actions.
succour	Give assistance or aid to. Prisoners of war were liberated and succoured.
suffer	Undergo or suffer. He d suffered a great deal since his arrest.
support	Support with evidence or authority or make more certain or confirm. The studies support our findings.
undergo	Pass through. The chemical undergoes a sudden change.
underpin	Support (a building or other structure) from below by laying a solid foundation below ground level or by substituting stronger for weaker materials. The theme of honour underpinning the two books.
uphold	Keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last. They uphold a tradition of not causing distress to living creatures.
validate	Give evidence for. He seems to need other women s attention to validate him as a man.
vindicate	Clear (someone) of blame or suspicion. Vindicate a claim.

Usage Examples of "Sustain" as a verb

• He cannot sustain a normal conversation.
• This thought had sustained him throughout the years.
• He sustained the role of Creon with burly resilience.
• His health will no longer enable him to sustain the heavy burdens of office.
• She alone sustained her family.
• He sagged against her so that she could barely sustain his weight.
• He sustained severe head injuries.
• The court sustained the motion.
• The allegations of discrimination were sustained.
• We sustained the diplomatic negotiations as long as possible.
• We sustained ourselves on bread and water.
• The money will sustain our good cause.

Associations of "Sustain" (30 Words)

alive	(often followed by `with’) full of life and spirit. She was always alive to new ideas.
alleviation	The act of reducing something unpleasant (as pain or annoyance. Peace security and the alleviation of poverty were high on the agenda.
bear	Contain or hold; have within. Bear a resemblance.
bolster	Prop up with a pillow or bolster. They bolstered the seats for a more comfortable ride.
concurrent	Agreeing or consistent. She was given nine months concurrent for each offence.
existence	All that exists. The biggest tree in existence.
farmhouse	House for a farmer and family. A farmhouse kitchen.
hold	Be capable of holding or containing. Hold it right there mate.
keep	Store or keep customarily. Keep a note of each item.
live	Be alive at a specified time. The club members are a really live bunch.
livelihood	The financial means whereby one lives. People whose livelihoods depend on the rainforest.
maintain	Maintain for use and service. Maintain a record.
maintenance	Means of maintenance of a family or group. Unlike champerty criminal maintenance does not necessarily involve personal profit.
meager	Deficient in amount or quality or extent. Meager resources.
nourishment	The act of nourishing. She was starved of emotional nourishment.
nutriment	Nourishment; sustenance. The bees reprocess the food and extract the last particle of nutriment from it.
outlast	Live longer than. The kind of beauty that will outlast youth.
outlive	Live through (an experience. The organization had largely outlived its usefulness.
stay	Stay behind. Stay alone.
subsist	Support oneself. The peace subsisted between 1303 and 1324.
subsistence	Denoting or relating to production at a level sufficient only for one’s own use or consumption, without any surplus for trade. The minimum income needed for subsistence.
support	Support with evidence or authority or make more certain or confirm. The president no longer has the support of his own party.
survive	Support oneself. He survived the cancer against all odds.
sustainable	Able to be maintained at a certain rate or level. Our fundamental commitment to sustainable development.
sustenance	The maintaining of someone or something in life or existence. He kept two or three cows for the sustenance of his family.
uphold	Support against an opponent. They uphold a tradition of not causing distress to living creatures.
upkeep	The act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of subsistence. We will be responsible for the upkeep of the access road.
victuals	Any substance that can be used as food.
withstand	Stand up or offer resistance to somebody or something. The new material withstands even the greatest wear and tear.
yeoman	A member of the yeomanry force.