Meanings
present singular third person withstands · participle present withstanding · participle past withstood · past withstood
- transitiveTo 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 651 more example
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 - To oppose (something) forcefully.
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
verbstand up or offer resistance to somebody or something
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-West Germanic*wiþistandan“to withstand, resist”
- Old Englishwiþstandan
- Middle Englishwithstanden
- Englishwithstand
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”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic قَاوَمَ
- قَاوَمَ (qāwama)to resist
Bulgarian издържам, устоявам
- издържам (izdăržam)to resist
- устоявам (ustojavam)to resist
- противостоя (protivostoja)to oppose
Chinese Mandarin 抵抗, 反抗
- 抵抗 (dǐkàng)to resist
- 反抗 (fǎnkàng)to resist
- 抵禦 /抵御 (dǐyù)to resist
Dutch weerstaan
- weerstaanto resist
Esperanto rezisti
- rezistito resist
Finnish kestää, vastustaa
- kestääto resist
- vastustaato oppose
French résister
- résisterto resist
German widerstehen
- widerstehento resist
Greek αντέχω
- αντέχω (antécho)to resist
Hungarian ellenáll
- ellenállto resist
Italian resistere, fronteggiare
- resistereto resist
- fronteggiareto oppose
Japanese 抵抗する, 反抗する
- 抵抗する (teikō suru)to resist
- 反抗する (hankō suru)to resist
- 耐える (taeru)to resist
- 堪える (taeru)to resist
- 撃退する (gekitai suru)to resist
Korean 맞서다, 버티다
- 맞서다 (matseoda)to resist
- 버티다 (beotida)to resist
Lithuanian atlaikyti, atsilaikyti
- atlaikytito resist
- atsilaikytito resist
Māori whakawhena, ātete
- whakawhenato resist
- āteteto resist
Polish wytrzymywać, wytrzymać
- wytrzymywaćto resist
- wytrzymaćto resist
Portuguese aguentar
- aguentarto resist
Russian сопротивля́ться, противостоя́ть
- сопротивля́ться (soprotivljátʹsja)to resist
- противостоя́ть (protivostojátʹ)to resist
- проти́виться (protívitʹsja)to resist
- вы́стоять (výstojatʹ)to resist
- сопротивля́ться (soprotivljátʹsja)to oppose
- противостоя́ть (protivostojátʹ)to oppose
Scottish Gaelic cum ri
- cum rito resist
Spanish aguantar
- aguantarto resist
Thai ต่อต้าน, ต้านทาน
- ต่อต้าน (dtɔ̀ɔ-dtâan)to resist
- ต้านทาน (dtâan-taan)to resist
Turkish direnmek, karşı koymak
- direnmekto resist
- karşı koymakto resist
- karşı koymakto oppose
Ukrainian протистояти
- протистояти (protystojaty)to resist
Vietnamese chống chọi
- chống chọito resist
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with withstand
Cite this entry
withstand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/withstand
“withstand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/withstand. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “withstand,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/withstand.
Source: withstand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.