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 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.