withstand

CEFRC1

/wɪðˈstænd/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To resist damage, pressure, or difficulty successfully.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To oppose (something) forcefully.

Examples

  • My house is designed so as to withstand an earthquake.

  • Does this house withstand earthquakes?

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2
Synonyms
2

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To resist or endure (something) successfully.

More examples

In context

  • Robots can withstand dangerous conditions.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The new building must blank strong earthquakes and powerful high winds.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

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”).