Definition of "withstand"

withstand

/wɪðˈstænd/

verb
third-person singular simple present withstands, present participle withstanding, simple past and past participle withstood
1. (transitive) To resist or endure (something) successfully.
  Quotations
  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, page 65
  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 ”, in The Daily Telegraph (Property)‎
2. To oppose (something) forcefully.