withstand
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to be strong enough to remain undamaged by something like heat, pressure, or a physical attack.
to resist or endure a physical or environmental force successfully without collapsing or yielding.
Simple“The old bridge was built to withstand even the strongest winter floods.”
In context“Modern skyscrapers are engineered to withstand significant seismic activity, using flexible foundations to absorb the energy of an earthquake.”
UsageThis is a transitive verb; you withstand a force or a condition directly without using a preposition like 'against'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
to successfully resist someone's power, an argument, or a temptation.
to maintain one's position against abstract pressure, such as criticism, temptation, or legal challenges.
Simple“She had to withstand a lot of pressure from her family to change her mind.”
In context“The witness managed to withstand a grueling cross-examination without contradicting her original statement.”
UsageOften used in formal contexts regarding legal, political, or psychological pressure.
“Industry fire-rating tables show that a solid brick wall only about 150 millimeters thick can withstand four hours of standard fire exposure.”
“Passkeys aren’t intended to withstand physical attacks against the devices that store them.”
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.