sustaining
adjective
sus·tain·ing
sə-ˈstā-niŋ 
1
: serving to sustain
2
: aiding in the support of an organization through a special fee
a sustaining member
Examples of sustaining in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
During its epic 25-year run, the annual Street Scene outdoor music festival was a homegrown miracle that blessed attendees with a mix of rock, soul, jazz and world-music that was as rich and sustaining as a cup of steaming gumbo.
—
San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2022
Why was your early connection to TV more sustaining?
—Jessica Pliska, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2022
The myths of the founding embraced by the Tea Party are perhaps the most sustaining force in the imaginary of the contemporary far right.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 11 Aug. 2021
This marked the first time that such area leaders were presented for a sustaining vote in a pre-General Conference setting.
—David Noyce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Apr. 2021
What had been most sustaining, a visit to you child, grandchild, or elderly parent, was overnight, declared too dangerous.
—Time, 16 Mar. 2021
Of the millions of words written about Gloria Vanderbilt, the fewest have been about her art, the most sustaining and constant thing over her long life.
—al, 30 Dec. 2020
This policy is prey to structural destabilization resulting from a combination of two factors: there is an effort gap because the optimal policy always entails discomfort and there is a tendency to lower effort to non-sustaining levels due to the instability of the dynamics.
—Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2013
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San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2022
Why was your early connection to TV more sustaining?
—Jessica Pliska, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2022
The myths of the founding embraced by the Tea Party are perhaps the most sustaining force in the imaginary of the contemporary far right.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 11 Aug. 2021
This marked the first time that such area leaders were presented for a sustaining vote in a pre-General Conference setting.
—David Noyce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Apr. 2021
What had been most sustaining, a visit to you child, grandchild, or elderly parent, was overnight, declared too dangerous.
—Time, 16 Mar. 2021
Of the millions of words written about Gloria Vanderbilt, the fewest have been about her art, the most sustaining and constant thing over her long life.
—al, 30 Dec. 2020
This policy is prey to structural destabilization resulting from a combination of two factors: there is an effort gap because the optimal policy always entails discomfort and there is a tendency to lower effort to non-sustaining levels due to the instability of the dynamics.
—Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2013
Cite this Entry
“Sustaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sustaining. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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