sustains

present tense third-person singular of sustain
1
as in nurtures
to supply with nourishment a granola bar should sustain you long enough to last until lunch

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2
as in undergoes
to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it sustained serious injuries in the car crash

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3
4
as in supports
to hold up or serve as a foundation for that old chair won't sustain your weight

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sustains If New Orleans sustains drives, though, the offense may try to go up-tempo to tire them out. Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025 That labor sustains an inequitable tech economy in which a handful of companies, including Meta, Google and Amazon, rake in profit and enrich their shareholders. Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025 Which consumer trends fueled Pop Mart's rise — and what sustains its success? Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025 As a leader in outdoor apparel and footwear, VF Corporation recognizes its responsibility to protect the very environment that inspires and sustains its business. Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 7 Oct. 2025 Turkey sustains a force of around 883,000 personnel with an annual defense budget of about 47 billion dollars. Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025 John Stuart Mill argued that diversity of opinion sustains democracy. Big Think, 2 Oct. 2025 Composer Deantoni Parks’s score sustains and amplifies the tension, heightening the creeping pretense of water rushing forward and the punishing breathlessness of struggling back upstream. Anne Reeve, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025 The new model sustains its focus for 30 hours, topping Anthropic Opus 4’s seven-hour runtime. Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sustains
Verb
  • Getting creative with my style nurtures the confidence that empowers me to show up in the world authentically.
    Essence, Essence, 24 Sep. 2025
  • The vegan lip treatment delivers intense moisture via a peptide that smoothes and plumps, as well as hyaluronic acid that nurtures dry skin.
    Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • This getaway, known for its rare trees, undergoes a dramatic autumn shift in November.
    Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno will take a brief leave of absence to be with his family as his daughter undergoes heart surgery, the team announced Wednesday.
    Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • And yet, with the sustained mediation of an American President, Jimmy Carter, the two men found a way to forge a peace that endures still.
    David Remnick, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Fans compromised by doing it until BOTH teams score their first points … in BOTH halves, a practice that endures today.
    Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Research on interpersonal warmth—which, alongside competence, accounts for roughly 82% of how people evaluate others—supports the importance of explicit positive communication.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Creatine is a naturally occurring compound in the body that primarily supports muscles.
    Jenna Anderson, Health, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Waukesha County cheers key step in the process For Waukesha County, Boardman's statement satisfies officials' hope that state transportation leaders are at least acknowledging the importance of I-94 locally and are following the steps necessary to make a project happen at some point.
    Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • As part of a plea agreement, prosecution was deferred on an additional charge for menacing so long as White commits no new violations over the next two years and satisfies a number of conditions, including issuing a public apology to the victim, Adam Weatherford.
    Josh Wood, Louisville Courier Journal, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • More than half of the country lives in poverty, and 40% of the population experiences at least moderate food insecurity.
    Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Please note that Frost/Freeze alerts will continue until 11/1 or until a county area experiences a widespread freeze.
    Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Santa Barbara daisy, which is actually native to Mexico and Central America, is meant not only for sunny garden, block wall, or walkway border planting, but tolerates a fair dose of shade as well as poor soil and drought.
    Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
  • For such a popular restaurant, Matsuri tolerates a lot of flies, unwashed walls and substandard handwashing, as detailed in a Miami Herald story this week on last week’s inspection.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Her poetry carries it all—the metaphysical, the flirtatious, the unsettling, the provocative— all in such miniscule space.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The line also carries the Seal of Cotton trademark, Cotton Incorporated’s label that verifies the natural fiber content of products.
    Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 17 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sustains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sustains. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

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