Sustainable Means It Can Keep Going
To sustain is to support or keep going. The related word sustainable has a definition that is more precise than its everyday use suggests.
To sustain is to hold something up or keep it going over time. *Sustainable* has a widely quoted definition from the 1987 Brundtland report: meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Most everyday uses of the word are vaguer than that, which is why it attracts complaints.
- To keep going. *Sustain the effort.*
- To support. *Beams sustain the load.*
- To suffer. *He sustained a fracture.*
- To uphold. *Objection sustained.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | sustain | Sustain the pace. |
| Past | sustained | Sustained injuries. |
| Adjective | sustainable | Sustainable farming. |
| Noun | sustainability | Corporate sustainability. |
| Noun | sustenance | Basic sustenance. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The pace could not be sustained.Kept going.
- She sustained minor injuries.Formal for suffered.
- Objection sustained.The judge agrees with the objection.
Sustainability terms
- Brundtland definition — meeting present needs without harming future ones
- Renewable — replenished naturally within a human timescale
- Carbon footprint — emissions attributable to an activity
- Greenwashing — claiming environmental credentials without substance
- Circular economy — designing out waste and keeping materials in use
From Latin *sustinere*, to hold up, from *sub* and *tenere*, to hold — the same verb as in *contain*, *retain* and *tenant*.
Where does the definition of sustainable come from?
From Our Common Future, the 1987 report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland.
What does *sustain* mean in court?
That the judge agrees with an objection. Overruled means the objection is rejected.