withstand
with·stand/wɪðˈstænd/verb
withstand is spelled W-I-T-H-S-T-A-N-D: 9 letters and 2 syllables (with·stand). It appears 4.5 times per million words in written English, the 12,045th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, withstand means “To resist or endure (something) successfully” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in withstand?
| Letters | 9: W-I-T-H-S-T-A-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: with·stand |
| In writing | 4.5 times per million words; the 12,045th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is withstand?
Withstand appears 4.5 times per million words in written English, the 12,045th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce withstand?
- /wɪðˈstænd/
- /wɪθˈstænd/
Withstand has 2 syllables, split with·stand in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Pvanp7-withstand.wav, En-us-withstand.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of withstand
- withstands present, singular, he/she/it
- withstanding participle, present
- withstood participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does withstand mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To resist or endure (something) successfully.
- 2
To oppose (something) forcefully.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Withstand in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to resist:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | résister |
| German | widerstehen |
| Portuguese | aguentar |
| Spanish | aguantar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does withstand come from?
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”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).