IELTS Anvil

sustain

CEFR: B2

To provide the environmental conditions, energy, or nutrients necessary to support and maintain life or physical processes indefinitely.

Synonyms

nourish
underpin

Common Collocations

sustain life
sustain economic growth
sustain injuries

Example Sentence

Planetary geophysicists investigate whether subsurface Martian aquifers possess adequate chemical energy to sustain microbial life.

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