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

Going this route also encourages more stable blood sugar, which contributes greatly to sustaining energy levels all day long. —Audrey Bruno, SELF, 25 Sep. 2025

In this worldview, there is no continuity to the presidency, no semi-permanent culture, no ivy plant that sustains through three generations and a dozen presidencies. —Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 25 Sep. 2025

Verb

Another sustained a perforated eardrum. —Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025

Remember, Foster missed a chunk of time during camp due to his injury sustained over the summer. —Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 26 Sep. 2025