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
• 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
• bore
• suffered
• stuck out
• stood for
• lumped (it)
• abided
• wore
• hacked
• pocketed
• brooked
• bode
• lived with
• sweat out
• toughed it out
• went
• permitted
• allowed
• 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
• 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

The Fairfield City School District has been quoted around $80,000 to replace and repair all damages that were sustained, according to the incident report. —David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2025

The model is conservative, assuming, for example, that the State Department will fully sustain the programs that remain. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2025

Verb

In early August though, the park and the future memorial site sustained damage from the historic flooding that hit southeastern Wisconsin, according to the project website. —Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 7 Nov. 2025

Both men sustained non-life threatening injuries. —Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2025

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