sustain

Word family

sus·tain /səˈsteɪn/ W3 AWL verb [transitiveT]

1 make STH continue 使某事继续CONTINUE/NOT STOP to make something continue to exist or happen for a period of time 保持，维持，使持续 SYN maintain

She found it difficult to sustain the children’s interest.

她发现很难保持孩子们的兴趣。

He was incapable of sustaining close relationships with women.

他无法和女人维持亲密关系。

the policies necessary to sustain economic growth

维持经济增长必需的政策

2 suffer 遭受 formalHARM/BE BAD FOR to suffer damage, an injury, or loss of money 遭受，经受

Two of the firefighters sustained serious injuries.

有两名消防员受了重伤。

Some nearby buildings sustained minor damage.

附近一些建筑物遭受到轻微损坏。

The company has sustained heavy financial losses this year.

这家公司今年遭受了严重的经济损失。

3 food/drink 食物/饮料 formal if food or drink sustains a person, animal, or plant, it makes them able to continue living 维持…的生命 → sustenance

They gave me barely enough food to sustain me.

他们给我的食物几乎都不够我活命。

4 give strength 给予力量 formalSTRONG PERSON to make someone feel strong and hopeful 使保持强壮；使保持信心[希望]

The thought of seeing her again was all that sustained me.

再见到她的念头是让我支撑下去的全部力量。

5 weight 重量 formalSUPPORT/HOLD UP to hold up the weight of something 支撑，承受 SYN support

He leant against her so heavily that she could barely sustain his weight.

他重重地靠在她身上，让她几乎撑不住了。

6 idea 意见 formalSUPPORT A PERSON, GROUP, OR PLAN to support an idea or argument, or prove that it is right 支持；证明，证实

This argument is difficult to sustain.

这个论点难以证明。

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 Dictionary

sustainsus·tain /səˈsteɪn/ verb [transitiveT]

1if a company sustains losses or other difficulties, it has them

Like 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 time

The 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 adjectiveadj

a period ofsustained economic growth

Origin sustain