sustained

adjective

sus·​tained sə-ˈstānd 

: maintained at length without interruption or weakening : lasting, prolonged

sustained winds

providing sustained support

sustained applause

sustained flight

They can run at sustained speeds of up to 19 mph for considerable distances, and usually only make short flights in order to escape danger or flush prey.

—Marcy Scott

This degenerative disorder is theoretically caused by excessive and sustained forces of compression.

—Tracy A. Turner

Examples of sustained in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is due to the perfect storm of sustained increase in consumer demand for beef coupled with a prolonged decrease in the supply of live cattle. —Patricia Kime, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026

However, Fink wrote that many households don’t have enough cash on hand to make ends meet—let alone any left over to invest in volatile markets over a sustained period of time. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2026

The Cowgirls made their only sustained run early in the third after trailing by 20 at halftime. —CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026

The unseasonal heat this past week alone isn’t enough to push the state into drought conditions, that would require much longer periods of intense heat and a sustained period without rain. —Sierra Van Der Brug, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sustained

• self-sustained
• sustained-release
• sustained yield

Rhymes for sustained

• appertained
• ascertained
• entertained
• overstrained
• preordained
• unconstrained
• unexplained
• unrestrained
• abstained
• arraigned
• attained
• bloodstained