to keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains the superstructure; a beast sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight.-hence, to keep from sinking, as in despondence, or the like; to support.-to maintain; to keep alive; to support; to subsist; to nourish; as, provisions to sustain an army.-to aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate.-to endure without failing or yielding; to bear up under; as, to sustain defeat and disappointment.-to suffer; to bear; to undergo.-to allow the prosecution of; to admit as valid; to sanction; to continue; not to dismiss or abate; as, the court sustained the action or suit.-to prove; to establish by evidence; to corroborate or confirm; to be conclusive of; as, to sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition.-one who, or that which, upholds or sustains; a sustainer.