- (v.t.) To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains the superstructure; a beast sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight.
- (v.t.) Hence, to keep from sinking, as in despondence or the like; to support.
- (v.t.) To maintain; to keep alive; to support; to subsist; to nourish; as, provisions to sustain an army.
- (v.t.) To allow the prosecution of; to admit as valid; to sanction; to continue; not to dismiss or abate; as, the court sustained the action or suit.
- (v.t.) To suffer; to bear; to undergo.
- (n.) One who or that which, upholds or sustains; a sustainer.
- (v.t.) To prove; to establish by evidence; to corroborate or confirm; to be conclusive of; as, to sustain a charge, an accusation or a proposition.
- (v.t.) To endure without failing or yielding; to bear up under; as, to sustain defeat and disappointment.
- (v.t.) To aid, comfort or relieve; to vindicate.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). sustain. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/sustain/definitions/2069167 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "sustain" http://smartdefine.org/sustain/definitions/2069167 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, sustain, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/sustain/definitions/2069167>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "sustain" 28 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/sustain/definitions/2069167> |