What does sustain mean?
Sustain means to support, maintain, or provide for something over time. It is used for the basic resources that keep a person alive, such as food and shelter, as well as for activities, institutions, or relationships that need continuing attention or resources. In another common sense, it means to experience damage, an injury, or a loss: a person may sustain a broken wrist, while a business may sustain financial losses. The word can also imply enduring a difficult situation, although “endure” is often more natural in this comparison. Sustain is useful because it links the ideas of continuing support and bearing consequences. It appears across both everyday and formal English, from descriptions of nutrition and employment to legal, medical, and financial reporting.
verbTo keep something going, provide what is needed for it to continue, or bear its effects. It can also mean to suffer damage, an injury, or a loss.
- To provide enough food, money, or other resources for someone or something to survive or continue.
- To keep a situation, activity, or process going.
- To suffer or experience damage, an injury, a loss, or an adverse effect.
- To endure something difficult over a period of time.
"The bridge was strong enough to sustain the weight of the entire convoy."
"The scholarship allowed the students to sustain themselves while they completed their degrees."
"The company continued to sustain significant losses during the economic downturn."
The word sustain carries an extraordinary range: it can mean keeping a person alive, keeping a project running, or bearing an injury.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sustain come from?
Sustain comes through Old French from Latin sustinere, formed from sus- and tenere, meaning “to hold from below” or “to support.” The Latin root also underlies English words such as constitute, constitution, and substitute. In the language, the word developed from the idea of physically holding or supporting something to meanings involving nourishment, endurance, and the bearing of consequences.
Related word forms
How sustain is actually used
The word is common in formal and neutral contexts. Its figurative uses, such as sustaining a career or a conversation, often imply continued support, nourishment, or development.
Easily confused with sustain
As a verb, sustain means to support, maintain, or endure something; as a noun, it refers to the provision of food or other means of sustaining life.