sus·tain (s -st n )tr.v. sus·tained, sus·tain·ing, sus·tains 1. To keep in existence; maintain. 2. To supply with necessities or nourishment; provide for. 3. To support from below; keep from falling or sinking; prop. 4. To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution of; encourage. 5. To bear up under; withstand: can't sustain the blistering heat. 6. To experience or suffer: sustained a fatal injury. 7. To affirm the validity of: The judge has sustained the prosecutor's objection. 8. To prove or corroborate; confirm. 9. To keep up (a joke or assumed role, for example) competently. [Middle English sustenen, from Old French sustenir, from Latin sustin  re : sub-, from below; see sub- + tenre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]sus·tain  a·bili·ty n.sus·tain a·ble adj.sus·tain er n.sus·tain ment n. |
sustainer [səˈsteɪnə]
n
(Astronautics) a rocket engine that maintains the velocity of a space vehicle after the booster has been jettisoned
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  sustainer - someone who upholds or maintains; "firm upholders of tradition"; "they are sustainers of the idea of democracy" |
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