sustains

Definition of sustainsnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 That sentiment sustains the structural shift toward broader individual participation that has defined the past several years. Harry Temkin, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026 Feeding the orbs To test how LiPfe sustains itself, Jobson’s team exposed its explants to isotopically labeled amino acids and ammonium. Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026 Today, the sea forest still sustains coastal communities and fisheries—a living system shaped by countless relationships between species, ocean currents, and people. Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026 And in part, that’s because the technology that sustains it has become so complicated and so complex that no one can be across all of it. Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026 Over the last two years, 30,000 to 40,000 Russian men have been inducted into the rolls every month, enough to replace the 30,000 or so casualties the Russian army sustains on the battlefield on a monthly basis. Daniel Depetris, Mercury News, 23 May 2026 Rules compelling basic disclosure or human-in-the-loop oversight in high-stakes contexts can reinforce the trust that sustains adoption over time. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 15 May 2026 Over the last two years, 30,000 to 40,000 Russian men have been inducted into the rolls every month, enough to replace the 30,000 or so casualties the Russian army sustains on the battlefield on a monthly basis. Daniel Depetris, Twin Cities, 15 May 2026 But the value now lies less in a single red carpet moment and more in building an ecosystem that sustains momentum long after the festival. Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sustains
Verb
  • Still, the internet nurtures these Hobbesian, splenetic views.
    Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026
  • That’s the true greatness of Free Comic Book Day, which now nurtures and expands upon the culture in which it was born.
    Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The Asava expression begins in ex-bourbon casks and then undergoes secondary maturation in casks seasoned with Indian Cabernet Sauvignon.
    Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
  • Cracks can develop over time as the fruit ages or undergoes stress during growth, transportation, or storage.
    Aksha Mittapalli, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 May 2026
Verb
  • But the string quartet endures precisely because tension between the voices is part of the form, not a failure of it.
    Rafael Pimentel Pinto, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
  • In 2022, shoe manufacturer Footwear Unlimited entered into a licensing agreement with Authentic Brands Group to manage the brand and continues to drive the vision, innovation and design that endures today.
    Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • The hotel supports local organizations including the Mallorca Preservation Foundation and the Madina Mayurqa Foundation, focused on the preservation of biodiversity and the cultural heritage of the Balearic islands.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
  • The company said the platform also supports runtime features such as KV cache reuse, which helps retain information from previous interactions and reduces the need to repeatedly process the same data.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026
Verb
  • Trump will only make a deal that satisfies his red lines, the official said, referring to the president’s demands that Iran must abandon its nuclear program, give up its enriched uranium supplies and open the Strait of Hormuz.
    Kate Sullivan, Fortune, 30 May 2026
  • Using keywords satisfies those requirements, even if the conversation doesn't come to a satisfying conclusion.
    Jill Duffy, PC Magazine, 28 May 2026
Verb
  • Heat to build back in Maryland experiences a brief break from the heat and humidity on Monday and Tuesday.
    Rachael Jay, CBS News, 6 June 2026
  • The issue has become increasingly prominent as North Carolina experiences a boom in data center development and other energy-intensive projects.
    Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 3 June 2026
Verb
  • Will its out-of-the-box simplicity—born from a culture that tolerates zero friction—be seen as a competitive edge, or a constraint?
    Vivian Toh, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
  • Podocarpus tolerates heavy pruning and can be shaped to suit your needs.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 May 2026
Verb
  • At least a couple million of those feet are directly attributable to Clover, who always carries some twine with her so visitors can add to the ball.
    Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
  • The new money is chasing a job that did not exist three years ago, and only part of what carries the AI label is the genuinely new part.
    Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sustains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sustains. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on sustains

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster