withstand
v.v. to be strong enough to remain undamaged by something. You use this when an object or person survives a difficult force or pressure.
v. to remain undamaged or unaffected by a force; to resist or endure successfully. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the force or pressure being resisted.
The old bridge can withstand heavy winds.
These specialized hiking boots are designed to withstand extreme temperatures and rough mountain terrain.
The legal team doubted whether the witness's testimony could withstand a rigorous cross-examination by the defense attorney.
From Middle English withstanden, from Old English wiþstandan, from Proto-West Germanic *wiþistandan (“to withstand, resist”), equivalent to with- (“against”) + stand. Cognate with Old Frisian withstanda (“to resist”). Compare also Dutch weerstaan (“to withstand, repel”), German widerstehen (“to withstand, resist, defy”), Russian противостоять (protivostojatʹ, “to withstand”).
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. It is often used with physical forces like pressure, heat, or wind, as well as abstract forces like criticism or scrutiny.
withstand to the pressurewithstand the pressureWithstand is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'to'.