Withstand Meaning
/wɪðˈstænd/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo resist or endure (something) successfully.
verbTo oppose (something) forcefully.
Sentence Examples
Robots can withstand dangerous conditions.
Does this house withstand earthquakes?
My house is designed so as to withstand an earthquake.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The new building must ____ strong earthquakes and powerful high winds.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new building was designed to ____ several strong earthquakes, ensuring the safety of all people who work there today.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The new building must ____ strong earthquakes and powerful high winds.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new building was designed to ____ several strong earthquakes, ensuring the safety of all people who work there today.