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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

withstand en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /wɪθˈstænd/
  • /wɪðˈstænd/
  • (UK) audio
  • (US) audio

Etymology

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”).

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To resist or endure (something) successfully.
    • Tests showed that a tin ceiling could withstand a temperature of 1,369° for an hour and 10 minutes, whereas plaster collapsed in 12 minutes. 1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls and Ceilings, Time-Life Books, →ISBN, page 65:
    • Some old, underfired clay pantiles might be damaged by button mosses rooting in cracks and fissures. But most post-war tiles are hard enough to withstand a bit of moss growth. 2014 October 26, Jeff Howell, “Is the Japanese knotweed threat exaggerated? Our troubleshooter calls for calm about Japanese knotweed in the garden – and moss on the roof [print version: Don't panic about an overhyped invasion, 25 October 2014, p. P13]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Property), archived from the original on 21 Jan 2015:
  2. To oppose (something) forcefully.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
withstands Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
withstanding Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
withstood Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
withstood Tense=Past lexicographic

Deriveds

withstandable · dielectric withstand test · withstander

Relateds

withstanding · notwithstanding

Synonyms

take · bear

Translations (53)

osx witharstandan (to resist) · pl wytrzymać (to resist) · it fronteggiare (to oppose) · ru противостоя́ть (to resist) · th ต่อต้าน (to resist) · fr résister (to resist) · ko 맞서다 (to resist) · ja 耐える (to resist) · ru проти́виться (to resist) · ja 抵抗する (to resist) · gl resistir (to resist) · fi kestää (to resist) · lt atsilaikyti (to resist) · mi ātete (to resist) · it resistere (to resist) · uk протистояти (to resist) · ru сопротивля́ться (to oppose) · bg устоявам (to resist) · es aguantar (to resist) · mi whakawhena (to resist) · osx widarstandan (to resist) · ru вы́стоять (to resist) · ko 버티다 (to resist) · ru сопротивля́ться (to resist) · tr direnmek (to resist) · tr karşı koymak (to oppose) · ja 反抗する (to resist) · vi chống chọi (to resist) · tr karşı koymak (to resist) · bg издържам (to resist) · hy տոկալ (to resist) · bg противостоя (to oppose) · th ต้านทาน (to resist) · ja 撃退する (to resist) · ar قَاوَمَ (to resist) · km ទប់ទល់ (to resist) · hy դիմանալ (to resist) · gd cum ri (to resist) · lt atlaikyti (to resist) · cmn 反抗 (to resist) · cmn 抵抗 (to resist) · cmn 抵禦 /抵御 (to resist) · ru противостоя́ть (to oppose) · ang wiþstandan (to resist) · nl weerstaan (to resist) · pt aguentar (to resist) · pl wytrzymywać (to resist) · de widerstehen (to resist) · ja 堪える (to resist) · hu ellenáll (to resist) · el αντέχω (to resist) · fi vastustaa (to oppose) · eo rezisti (to resist)