From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsustainsus‧tain /səˈsteɪn/ ●●○ W3 AWL verb [transitive] 1 make something continueCONTINUE/NOT STOP to make something continue to exist or happen for a period of time SYN maintain She found it difficult to sustain the children’s interest. He was incapable of sustaining close relationships with women. the policies necessary to sustain economic growth → sustained2 suffer formalHARM/BE BAD FOR to suffer damage, an injury, or loss of money Two of the firefighters sustained serious injuries. Some nearby buildings sustained minor damage. The company has sustained heavy financial losses this year.3 food/drink formal if food or drink sustains a person, animal, or plant, it makes them able to continue living → sustenance They gave me barely enough food to sustain me.4 give strength formalSTRONG PERSON to make someone feel strong and hopeful The thought of seeing her again was all that sustained me.5 weight formalSUPPORT/HOLD UP to hold up the weight of something SYN support He leant against her so heavily that she could barely sustain his weight.6 idea formalSUPPORT A PERSON, GROUP, OR PLAN to support an idea or argument, or prove that it is right This argument is difficult to sustain.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
sustain• Indeed the Customer Service Charter featured below sets out the level of service we strive to sustain.• Similarly in the international arena, an emasculated politics is incapable of sustaining an effective national defense.• It could be suggested that this is one determining factor in whether teachers are able to effect and sustain change.• A series of twitches builds up muscle tension into a sustained contraction.• The program needs sustained government involvement to survive.• More public works construction could help sustain job growth.• The thought of getting home was the only thing that sustained me in the hospital.• The planet cannot sustain more than 6 billion people.• Trees are a renewable resource that when managed properly can sustain our needs indefinitely.• Cook sustained that injury during the win over Basingstoke last month.• This did not prove sufficient to sustain the cocoa economy.• The floor cannot sustain the weight of a piano.From Longman Business Dictionarysustainsus‧tain /səˈsteɪn/ verb [transitive]1if a company sustains losses or other difficulties, it has themLike other insurance companies, we havesustained heavylosses.The record industrysustained a salesslump in the first half.2to manage to make something continue to exist over a long period of timeThe Dow Jones broke above the 2935 level in the early afternoon but was unable to sustain the gains.Officials predict the electronics industry will be able tosustain growth.We’re seeing a healthy fall in inflation, but the question is whether it can be sustained. —sustained adjectivea period ofsustained economic growth→ See Verb tableOrigin sustain (1200-1300) Old French sustenir, from Latin sustinere “to hold up, sustain”, from sub- “up” + tenere “to hold” 