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 included four major hurricanes with maximum sustained winds reaching 111 mph or greater. —Daniel Peck, ABC News, 30 Nov. 2025

Huge progress that’s not happening is already baked into the valuation, making the chances of huge, sustained gains from here remote, though a Musk-orchestrated, ephemeral surge can always happen. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2025

The sustained damage attributed to at least two drone strikes but was not ablaze, and no evacuation was required, officials stated. —Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025

Now the world’s fourth-largest economy, our state has paired consistent cuts in emissions with sustained economic growth and set a standard for clean car rules that is copied worldwide. —Ellie Cohen, Mercury News, 29 Nov. 2025

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