Dictionary entry details
• SUSTAIN (verb)
Meaning:
Lengthen or extend in duration or space
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Synonyms:
sustain; keep up; prolong
Context examples:
We sustained the diplomatic negotiations as long as possible / prolong the treatment of the patient / keep up the good work
Hypernyms (to "sustain" is one way to...):
bear on; carry on; continue; preserve; uphold (keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sustain"):
continue; keep; keep going; keep on; retain (allow to remain in a place or position)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Meaning:
Undergo (as of injuries and illnesses)
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Synonyms:
suffer; sustain; have; get
Context examples:
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
Hypernyms (to "sustain" is one way to...):
experience; get; have; receive; undergo (go through (mental or physical states or experiences))
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sustain"):
break down; collapse (collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack)
break up; collapse; crack; crack up; crock up (suffer a nervous breakdown)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Meaning:
Provide with nourishment
Classified under:
Verbs of eating and drinking
Synonyms:
nourish; nurture; sustain
Context examples:
We sustained ourselves on bread and water / This kind of food is not nourishing for young children
Hypernyms (to "sustain" is one way to...):
cater; ply; provide; supply (provide what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sustain"):
carry (be able to feed)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Meaning:
Supply with necessities and support
Classified under:
Verbs of eating and drinking
Synonyms:
maintain; sustain; keep
Context examples:
She alone sustained her family / The money will sustain our good cause / There's little to earn and many to keep
Hypernyms (to "sustain" is one way to...):
have; have got; hold (have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sustain"):
carry (keep up with financial support)
reseed (maintain by seeding without human intervention)
patronage (support by being a patron of)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Meaning:
Be the physical support of; carry the weight of
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
hold up; support; sustain; hold
Context examples:
The beam holds up the roof / He supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam / What's holding that mirror?
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sustain"):
brace (support by bracing)
truss (support structurally)
prop; prop up; shore; shore up (support by placing against something solid or rigid)
underpin (support from beneath)
bracket (support with brackets)
pole (support on poles)
buoy; buoy up (keep afloat)
chock (support on chocks)
carry (bear or be able to bear the weight, pressure,or responsibility of)
block (support, secure, or raise with a block)
scaffold (provide with a scaffold for support)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Meaning:
Admit as valid
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Context example:
The court sustained the motion
Hypernyms (to "sustain" is one way to...):
acknowledge; admit (declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Meaning:
Establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Synonyms:
substantiate; corroborate; confirm; affirm; support; sustain
Context examples:
his story confirmed my doubts / The evidence supports the defendant
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sustain"):
back; back up (establish as valid or genuine)
vouch (give supporting evidence)
verify (confirm the truth of)
demonstrate; establish; prove; shew; show (establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment)
document (support or supply with references)
validate (prove valid; show or confirm the validity of something)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE
