Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

sustain

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of sustain

1 to supply with nourishment
  • A granola bar should sustain you long enough to last until lunch.
Synonyms of sustain

nourish, nurture
Words Related to sustain

sate, satiate, satisfy

nurse, suckle

cloy, fill, surfeit

fortify, replenish, strengthen

feed

board, cater, provision, victual
2 to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it
  • sustained serious injuries in the car crash
Synonyms of sustain

endure, experience, feel, have, know, pass, see, suffer, taste, undergo, witness
Words Related to sustain

encounter, meet

accept, receive

assimilate, digest
Phrases Synonymous with sustain

go through
3 to put up with (something painful or difficult)
  • I won't sustain such insolence!
Synonyms of sustain

abide, absorb, accept, bear, brook, countenance, endure, go, hack, handle, meet, pocket, stand, stick out, stomach, support, sweat out, take, tolerate
Words Related to sustain

allow, permit, suffer, swallow

reconcile (to)

acquiesce, agree (with or to), assent (to), capitulate, consent (to), respect, submit (to), yield (to)
Phrases Synonymous with sustain

live with, lump (it), stand for, tough out (it)
Near Antonyms of sustain

decline, dismiss, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn, turn down

combat, contest, fight, oppose, resist

avoid, bypass, circumvent, dodge, elude, escape, evade, miss

abstain (from), forbear, refrain (from)
4 to hold up or serve as a foundation for
  • no oxygen to sustain life
Synonyms of sustain

bear, bolster, brace, buttress, carry, prop (up), shore (up), stay, support, undergird, underpin, uphold
Words Related to sustain

steady, truss, underlie

Learn More about sustain

  1. Dictionary: Definition of sustain Spanish Central: Translation of sustain Nglish: Translation of sustain for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sustain for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up sustain? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games