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

Sound, sustained policy changes lives. —Jeb Bush, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026

What Eversource did here — mount a sustained PR campaign to destroy a regulator’s credibility, force her out, and immediately collect their reward — is a playbook. —Josh Elliott, Hartford Courant, 23 Feb. 2026

The stage was set for sustained success. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 23 Feb. 2026

Day’Ron Sharpe’s emphatic block on Landale to open the second quarter hinted at a sustained effort from Brooklyn, and for much of the afternoon, that effort held. —C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 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