1 (keep going) [+interest, relationship, marriage] mantener he seemed unable to sustain a relationship
[+effort] sostener; continuar; [+life] sustentar it is the light that nourishes, feeds and sustains all life (Mús)
[+note] sostener the economy was not able to sustain a long war la economía no podía soportar una guerra larga
the problem was how to create and sustain public interest the problem now facing the ministry was how to sustain their efforts for long enough to achieve a satisfactory peace settlement their entry into the drug trade has been a means of sustaining their activities financially they do not have enough money to sustain a strike Mandela has to be patient if he's to sustain his position as a great international figure the irony is that he could probably have sustained his position without resorting to violence the band now need new material with which to sustain their success
2 (formal) (suffer) [+attack] sufrir (y rechazar); [+damage, loss] sufrir; [+injury] recibir; sufrir; [+defeat] padecer he sustained great provocation every aircraft in there has sustained some damage a tourist died last night of injuries sustained in the bomb blast
both ships sustained minor damage ambos buques sufrieron daños de menor consideración
3 (support) [+weight] sostener; apoyar; [+theory] confirmar; corroborar it is his belief in God that sustains him su fe en Dios es lo que lo sostiene mantiene;or
the foundations were not strong enough to sustain the weight of the house the cash dividends they get from the cash crop would sustain them during the lean season he turned to armed robbery to sustain his heroin habit I am sustained by letters of support and what people say to me
4 (Jur) (uphold) [+objection] admitir; [+claim] corroborar; respaldar; [+charge] confirmar; corroborar objection sustained la objeción está admitida
