# withstand

> English word · Verb · IPA /wɪðˈstænd/ · frequency rank #12,170

## Definitions
1. To resist or endure (something) successfully.
2. To oppose (something) forcefully.

## 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”).

## Easily confused with
- **withstood** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/withstand-vs-withstood)

## Common misspellings (15)
`iwthstand`, `wihtstand`, `withhstand`, `withsatnd`, `withsstand`, `withstadn`, `withstandd`, `withstannd`, `withstnad`, `withsttand`, `withtsand`, `witshtand`, `witthstand`, `wtihstand`, `wwithstand`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/withstand