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sustain

 
 
/səˈsteɪn/ verb [T]

Definition

CONTINUE to cause or allow something to continue for a period of time: The team may not be able to sustain this level of performance.
SUPPORT to support someone or something so that they can live or exist: The money he received was hardly enough to sustain a wife and five children.
sustain damage/injuries/losses formal If someone or something sustains injuries/damage/losses, etc, they are injured/damaged, etc.: She later died in hospital of the injuries sustained in the accident.
(Definition of sustain verb from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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