sustain
pronunciation
How to pronounce sustain in British English:
UK [səˈsteɪn]
How to pronounce sustain in American English:
US [səˈsteɪn]
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- Verb:
- lengthen or extend in duration or space
- undergo (as of injuries and illnesses)
- provide with nourishment
- supply with necessities and support
- be the physical support of; carry the weight of
- admit as valid
- establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
Word Origin
- sustain (v.)
- c. 1300, "give support to," from stem of Old French sostenir "hold up, bear; suffer, endure" (13c.), from Latin sustinere "hold up, hold upright; furnish with means of support; bear, undergo, endure," from sub "up from below" (see sub-) + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Meaning "continue, keep up" (an action, etc.) is from early 14c. Sense of "endure without failing or yielding" is from c. 1400. Related: Sustained; sustaining.
Example
- 1. It may even be hard to sustain financial integration .
- 2. Money doesn 't sustain or fund real economic activity .
- 3. Can she sustain faster growth without sacrificing economic stability ?
- 4. They sustain us , not the other way round .
- 5. Petrochina and sinopec have both been buying up many of those refiners to sustain fuel production .