withstand

English

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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wɪðˈstænd/, /wɪθˈstænd/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ænd
• Hyphenation: with‧stand

Verb

withstand (third-person singular simple present withstands, present participle withstanding, simple past and past participle withstood)

1. (transitive) To resist or endure (something) successfully.
   • 1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls and Ceilings, Time-Life Books, →ISBN, page 65:

     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.

   • 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)‎:

     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.

2. To oppose (something) forcefully.

Derived terms

• dielectric withstand test
• withstander

Related terms

• notwithstanding
• withstanding

Translations