Synonyms of sustain

sustain 1 of 2

verb (1)

sə-ˈstān 

1

as in to nurture

to supply with nourishment

a granola bar should sustain you long enough to last until lunch

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nurture
• satisfy
• nourish
• feed
• replenish
• fill
• sate
• satiate
• strengthen
• suckle
• fortify
• cater
• provision
• surfeit
• cloy
• nurse
• board
• victual

2

as in to undergo

to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it

sustained serious injuries in the car crash

Synonyms & Similar Words

• undergo
• experience
• endure
• have
• see
• feel
• suffer
• know
• witness
• taste
• receive
• pass
• go through
• encounter
• meet
• accept
• assimilate
• digest

3

as in to endure

to put up with (something painful or difficult)

I won't sustain such insolence!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• endure
• tolerate
• stand
• handle
• accept
• take
• absorb
• bear
• support
• meet
• stomach
• abide
• swallow
• wear
• countenance
• stand for
• live with
• stick out
• lump (it)
• hack
• suffer
• brook
• go
• allow
• tough it out
• bide
• sweat out
• permit
• pocket
• reconcile (to)
• respect
• yield (to)
• acquiesce
• submit (to)
• agree (with or to)
• consent (to)
• capitulate
• assent (to)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• refuse
• reject
• decline
• dismiss
• resist
• fight
• oppose
• repudiate
• avoid
• combat
• escape
• contest
• evade
• spurn
• miss
• turn down
• circumvent
• bypass
• elude
• refrain (from)
• dodge
• forbear
• abstain (from)

4

as in to carry

to hold up or serve as a foundation for

that old chair won't sustain your weight

Synonyms & Similar Words

• carry
• support
• bolster
• stay
• uphold
• underpin
• bear
• buttress
• undergird
• steady
• brace
• shore (up)
• underlie
• prop (up)
• truss

sustained

2 of 2

verb (2)

past tense of sustain

1

as in nurtured

to supply with nourishment

a granola bar should sustain you long enough to last until lunch

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nurtured
• satisfied
• fed
• nourished
• filled
• satiated
• replenished
• sated
• strengthened
• suckled
• fortified
• catered
• surfeited
• nursed
• cloyed
• provisioned
• boarded
• victualled
• victualed

2

as in experienced

to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it

sustained serious injuries in the car crash

Synonyms & Similar Words

• experienced
• had
• underwent
• endured
• suffered
• saw
• witnessed
• felt
• knew
• received
• encountered
• passed
• tasted
• went through
• met
• accepted
• digested
• assimilated

3

as in endured

to put up with (something painful or difficult)

I won't sustain such insolence!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• endured
• tolerated
• accepted
• handled
• stood
• took
• absorbed
• supported
• met
• swallowed
• countenanced
• stomached
• suffered
• bore
• stuck out
• stood for
• lumped (it)
• abided
• wore
• hacked
• pocketed
• brooked
• sweated out
• bided
• bode
• lived with
• abode
• sweat out
• went
• toughed it out
• allowed
• permitted
• reconciled (to)
• submitted (to)
• acquiesced
• agreed (with or to)
• yielded (to)
• consented (to)
• respected
• assented (to)
• capitulated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dismissed
• refused
• rejected
• declined
• opposed
• resisted
• repudiated
• turned down
• fought
• contested
• avoided
• escaped
• spurned
• missed
• evaded
• eluded
• combated
• bypassed
• combatted
• dodged
• circumvented
• refrained (from)
• abstained (from)
• forbore

4

as in bolstered

to hold up or serve as a foundation for

that old chair won't sustain your weight

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bolstered
• carried
• supported
• upheld
• stayed
• braced
• buttressed
• underpinned
• bore
• propped (up)
• undergirded
• steadied
• trussed
• shored (up)
• underlay

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sustain

Verb

This is below the level needed to sustain the population, which is 2.1 births per woman. —Charlotte Morabito, CNBC, 30 May 2025

Now Brunson and the Knicks must find a way to sustain Thursday’s effort for two more games. —C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 30 May 2025

Verb

Dobbins sustained a knee injury in Week 12 against the Baltimore Ravens. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024

Officers gave the victim first aid, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, police said. —Ikram Mohamed, Chicago Tribune, 23 Dec. 2024

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