Sustain vs. Maintain — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 13, 2024
Sustain focuses on supporting or enduring over time, often in the face of adversity, while maintain is about keeping something in its current state or condition.
Difference Between Sustain and Maintain
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Sustain is about supporting or enduring, especially under challenging conditions, implying continuous effort to keep something going. On the other hand, maintain refers to the regular actions taken to keep something in its current state or condition, focusing on preserving quality or function.
While sustaining something might involve adapting and overcoming difficulties to ensure longevity, maintaining something typically involves routine care and checks to prevent deterioration. Sustain can also imply providing what is needed for existence, such as sustenance for life, whereas maintain often deals with the upkeep of objects, systems, or states.
Sustainability often relates to environmental or economic systems that can continue indefinitely without depleting resources or harming the planet. Conversely, maintenance might involve tasks such as repairing, cleaning, or replacing parts of a machine to keep it operating smoothly.
Sustaining can also refer to supporting emotionally or physically, like sustaining an injury or sustaining morale in a difficult situation. In contrast, maintaining can involve personal habits or states, such as maintaining one’s health or maintaining a calm demeanor.
Sustain and maintain both play crucial roles in different contexts; sustaining life or ecosystems involves long-term support and viability, while maintaining objects or systems focuses on preservation and preventing decline.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
To support or endure, especially over time or under difficult circumstances.
To keep something in its existing state or condition, preventing decay or decline.
Focus
Longevity, endurance, and continuous support.
Upkeep, preservation, and prevention of deterioration.
Contexts
Environmental sustainability, economic support, emotional or physical support.
Routine care, system upkeep, personal habits.
Examples
Sustaining an ecosystem, sustaining effort in a project.
Maintaining a car, maintaining cleanliness in a house.
Outcome
Ensures continued existence or support.
Ensures something remains at a certain quality or state.
Compare with Definitions
Sustain
Practices that maintain ecological balance and avoid resource depletion.
Renewable energy sources are crucial to sustain our planet’s health.
Maintain
Preventing something from deteriorating.
The museum works hard to maintain the condition of its ancient artifacts.
Sustain
Providing necessary support or resources over a prolonged period.
The charity aimed to sustain the community through ongoing educational programs.
Maintain
The act of performing regular checks and repairs.
Maintaining a garden involves weeding, watering, and pruning.
Sustain
To keep someone alive with food, drink, or other necessities.
The stranded hikers sustained themselves on limited rations until rescue.
Maintain
To assert or defend a point of view or a set of rights.
The lawyer maintained her client’s innocence throughout the trial.
Sustain
Offering emotional strength or financial assistance.
Family support sustained her through her recovery period.
Maintain
To keep something in a specific state or condition.
Regular oil changes are necessary to maintain your car’s performance.
Sustain
To withstand or bear, especially under challenging circumstances.
The ancient oak tree sustained heavy damage in the storm but remained standing.
Maintain
Ensuring that a process or activity goes on.
To maintain a healthy lifestyle, consistent exercise is important.
Sustain
Strengthen or support physically or mentally
This thought had sustained him throughout the years
Maintain
Cause or enable (a condition or situation) to continue
The need to maintain close links between industry and schools
Sustain
Undergo or suffer (something unpleasant, especially an injury)
He sustained severe head injuries
Maintain
Provide with necessities for life or existence
The allowance covers the basic costs of maintaining a child
Sustain
Cause to continue for an extended period or without interruption
He cannot sustain a normal conversation
Maintain
State something strongly to be the case; assert
He has always maintained his innocence
He had persistently maintained that he would not stand against his old friend
Sustain
Uphold, affirm, or confirm the justice or validity of
The allegations of discrimination were sustained
Maintain
To keep up or carry on; continue
Maintain good relations.
Sustain
An effect or facility on a keyboard or electronic instrument whereby a note can be sustained after the key is released.
Maintain
To keep in an existing state; preserve or retain
Maintain one's composure.
Sustain
To keep in existence; maintain, continue, or prolong
Sustain an effort.
Maintain
To keep in a condition of good repair or efficiency
Maintain two cars.
Sustain
To keep up (a joke or assumed role, for example) competently.
Maintain
To provide for; support
Maintain a family.
Sustain
To supply with necessities or nourishment; provide for
The income needed to sustain a family.
Maintain
To keep in existence; sustain
Enough food to maintain life.
Sustain
To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution of; encourage
We were sustained by her unflagging optimism.
Maintain
To defend or hold against criticism or attack
Maintained his stand on taxes.
Sustain
To support from below; keep from falling or sinking; prop
The beams sustain the weight of the roof.
Maintain
To declare to be true; affirm
Maintained her innocence.
Sustain
To bear up under; withstand
Can't sustain the blistering heat.
Maintain
To adhere or conform to; keep
Maintain a busy schedule.
Sustain
To experience or suffer
Sustained minor injuries.
Maintain
To support (someone), to back up or assist (someone) in an action.
Sustain
To affirm the validity of
The judge has sustained the prosecutor's objection.
Maintain
To keep up; to preserve; to uphold (a state, condition etc.).
Sustain
A capacity of a musical instrument to continue the resounding of a note or tone.
Maintain
To declare or affirm (a clause) to be true; to assert.
Sustain
(transitive) To maintain, or keep in existence.
The professor had trouble sustaining students’ interest until the end of her lectures.
The city came under sustained attack by enemy forces.
Sam managed to sustain his erection for two straight hours.
Maintain
To hold or keep in any particular state or condition; to support; to sustain; to uphold; to keep up; not to suffer to fail or decline; as, to maintain a certain degree of heat in a furnace; to maintain a fence or a railroad; to maintain the digestive process or powers of the stomach; to maintain the fertility of soil; to maintain present reputation.
Sustain
(transitive) To provide for or nourish.
Provisions to sustain an army
Maintain
To keep possession of; to hold and defend; not to surrender or relinquish.
God values . . . every one as he maintains his post.
Sustain
(transitive) To encourage or sanction (something). en
Maintain
To continue; not to suffer to cease or fail.
Maintain talk with the duke.
Sustain
(transitive) To experience or suffer (an injury, etc.).
The building sustained major damage in the earthquake.
Maintain
To bear the expense of; to support; to keep up; to supply with what is needed.
Glad, by his labor, to maintain his life.
What maintains one vice would bring up two children.
Sustain
(transitive) To confirm, prove, or corroborate; to uphold.
To sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition
Maintain
To affirm; to support or defend by argument.
It is hard to maintain the truth, but much harder to be maintained by it.
Sustain
To allow, accept, or admit (e.g. an objection or motion) as valid.
Maintain
Keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g.,
Keep clean
Hold in place
She always held herself as a lady
The students keep me on my toes
Sustain
To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support.
A foundation sustains the superstructure; an animal sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight.
Maintain
Keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction;
We preserve these archeological findings
The old lady could not keep up the building
Children must be taught to conserve our national heritage
The museum curator conserved the ancient manuscripts
Sustain
To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate.
Maintain
Supply with necessities and support;
She alone sustained her family
The money will sustain our good cause
There's little to earn and many to keep
Sustain
(music) A mechanism which can be used to hold a note, as the right pedal on a piano.
Maintain
State categorically
Sustain
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.
Every pillar the temple to sustain.
Maintain
Of power or authority
Sustain
Hence, to keep from sinking, as in despondence, or the like; to support.
No comfortable expectations of another life to sustain him under the evils in this world.
Maintain
Maintain for use and service;
I keep a car in the countryside
She keeps an apartment in Paris for her shopping trips
Sustain
To maintain; to keep alive; to support; to subsist; to nourish; as, provisions to sustain an army.
Maintain
Maintain by writing regular records;
Keep a diary
Maintain a record
Keep notes
Sustain
To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate.
His sons, who seek the tyrant to sustain.
Maintain
State or assert;
He maintained his innocence
Sustain
To endure without failing or yielding; to bear up under; as, to sustain defeat and disappointment.
Maintain
Support against an opponent;
The appellate court upheld the verdict
Sustain
To suffer; to bear; to undergo.
Shall Turnus, then, such endless toil sustain?
You shall sustain more new disgraces.
Maintain
Observe correctly or closely;
The pianist kept time with the metronome
Keep count
I cannot keep track of all my employees
Sustain
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.
Sustain
To prove; to establish by evidence; to corroborate or confirm; to be conclusive of; as, to sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition.
Sustain
One who, or that which, upholds or sustains; a sustainer.
I waked again, for my sustain was the Lord.
Sustain
Lengthen or extend in duration or space;
We sustained the diplomatic negociations as long as possible
Prolong the treatment of the patient
Keep up the good work
Sustain
Undergo (as of injuries and illnesses);
She suffered a fracture in the accident
He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars
She got a bruise on her leg
He got his arm broken in the scuffle
Sustain
Provide with nourishment;
We sustained ourselves on bread and water
This kind of food is not nourishing for young children
Sustain
Supply with necessities and support;
She alone sustained her family
The money will sustain our good cause
There's little to earn and many to keep
Sustain
Be the physical support of; carry the weight of;
The beam holds up the roof
He supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam
What's holding that mirror?
Sustain
Admit as valid;
The court sustained the motion
Sustain
Establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts;
His story confirmed my doubts
The evidence supports the defendant
Common Curiosities
Why is maintenance important in buildings?
To ensure safety, functionality, and aesthetics are preserved, preventing decay and loss of value.
What does it mean to sustain an ecosystem?
To support the health and diversity of an ecosystem over time, ensuring its components interact in balance.
Can emotional support sustain a person?
Yes, emotional support can provide the strength needed to endure challenging circumstances.
What’s the difference between maintaining and repairing?
Maintaining is about preventing damage, while repairing is fixing damage that has already occurred.
Is it easier to sustain or to start anew?
It often depends on the context, but sustaining can be challenging as it requires continuous effort and resources.
How do you maintain a machine?
By performing regular checks, cleaning, and replacing any worn parts to keep it running smoothly.
What role does sustainability play in business?
It involves operating in ways that meet current needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet theirs.
How can technology help in maintenance?
Through predictive maintenance using sensors and AI to anticipate and prevent failures.
Can sustaining an effort lead to success?
Yes, sustained effort over time can lead to achieving goals and overcoming challenges.
What is environmental sustainability?
Practices that ensure natural resources are used in a way that maintains ecosystem health for future generations.
How does one maintain good health?
Through regular exercise, a balanced diet, adequate sleep, and managing stress.
Why is routine maintenance crucial for vehicles?
To ensure safety, efficiency, and longevity, reducing the risk of breakdowns and repairs.
What is the significance of maintaining traditions?
To preserve cultural heritage and identity, passing values and practices down through generations.
What are some examples of sustainable practices?
Using renewable energy, reducing waste, and conserving water.
What is financial sustainability?
The ability to support financial needs over time without excessive reliance on external resources.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
