verb · formal
sustain
/səˈsteɪn/sus·TAIN
Band 5-6task2speaking
to keep something going over time; to support or maintain
Examples
“Efforts to sustain biodiversity require long-term funding.”
“She sustained a minor injury during the match but kept playing.”
“It is hard to sustain high levels of productivity without breaks.”
Band 8 sentence
“Sustaining economic recovery will require coordinated fiscal policy and structural reforms.”
Collocations
- sustain growth
- sustain damage/injury
- sustainable development
Word family
sustainable adjectivesustainability noun
Common mistakes
translate as 'sống/nuôi sống' in all contexts→use 'sustain' for maintain/support (not always 'nuôi sống')
use present simple without subject-verb agreement: 'It sustain'→It sustains
Say it for a higher band
5keep→6maintain→7+sustain
Synonyms
maintain
Easily confused
maintain
“To maintain the system, perform monthly checks.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Sublist 9
Learn it with its set