sustain : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: sustain	by the DICT Development Group
3 results for sustain
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
sustain v lengthen or extend in duration or space; "We sustained the diplomatic negotiations as long as possible"; "prolong the treatment of the patient"; "keep up the good work" Synonym(s): prolong, sustain, keep up undergo (as of injuries and illnesses); "She suffered a fracture in the accident"; "He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars"; "She got a bruise on her leg"; "He got his arm broken in the scuffle" Synonym(s): suffer, sustain, have, get provide with nourishment; "We sustained ourselves on bread and water"; "This kind of food is not nourishing for young children" Synonym(s): nourish, nurture, sustain supply with necessities and support; "She alone sustained her family"; "The money will sustain our good cause"; "There's little to earn and many to keep" Synonym(s): sustain, keep, maintain be the physical support of; carry the weight of; "The beam holds up the roof"; "He supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam"; "What's holding that mirror?" Synonym(s): hold, support, sustain, hold up admit as valid; "The court sustained the motion" establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts; "his story confirmed my doubts"; "The evidence supports the defendant" Synonym(s): confirm, corroborate, sustain, substantiate, support, affirm Antonym(s): contradict, negate
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Sustain \Sustain"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Sustained}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Sustaining}.] [OE. sustenen, susteinen, OF. sustenir, sostenir, F. soutenir (the French prefix is properly fr. L. subtus below, fr. sub under), L. sustinere; pref. sus- (see {Sub-}) + tenere to hold. See {Tenable}, and cf. {Sustenance}.] 1. To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains the superstructure; a beast sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight. Every pillar the temple to sustain. --Chaucer. 2. Hence, to keep from sinking, as in despondence, or the like; to support. No comfortable expectations of another life to sustain* him under the evils in this world. --Tillotson. 3. To maintain; to keep alive; to support; to subsist; to nourish; as, provisions to sustain an army. 4. To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate. --Shak. His sons, who seek the tyrant to sustain. --Dryden. 5. To endure without failing or yielding; to bear up under; as, to sustain defeat and disappointment. 6. To suffer; to bear; to undergo. Shall Turnus, then, such endless toil sustain? --Dryden. You shall sustain more new disgraces. --Shak. 7. To allow the prosecution of; to admit as valid; to sanction; to continue; not to dismiss or abate; as, the court sustained the action or suit. 8. To prove; to establish by evidence; to corroborate or confirm; to be conclusive of; as, to sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition. Syn: To support; uphold; subsist; assist; relieve; suffer; undergo.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Sustain \Sustain"\, n. One who, or that which, upholds or sustains; a sustainer. [Obs.] I waked again, for my sustain* was the Lord. --Milton.