Withstand
//wɪðˈstænd// verb
verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To resist or endure (something) successfully. transitive
"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."
- 2 stand up or offer resistance to somebody or something wordnet
- 3 To oppose (something) forcefully.
- 4 resist or confront with resistance wordnet
Example
More examples"Robots can withstand dangerous conditions."
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”).
Related phrases
More for "withstand"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.