Crossword clues for sustains sustains Supplies with life's necessities South American drunken saint gets sanctions Undergoes, as a loss Suffers, as an injury Gives strength to Keeps going Keeps up Upholds a lawyer's objection Holds up Wiktionary sustains n. (plural of sustain English) vb. (en-third-person singular of: sustain) Usage examples of "sustains". It sustains them in many subtle ways and they revere it even as they use it.