sustain vs prove

sustain and prove both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
sustain	No	No	Yes	No
prove	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, prove is a hyponym of sustain; that is, prove is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than sustain:

sustain: establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
prove: establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment

Other hyponyms of sustain include back, back up, vouch, verify, demonstrate, establish, shew, show, document, validate.

sustain (verb)	prove (verb)
undergo (as of injuries and illnesses)	establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts	obtain probate of
admit as valid	prove formally; demonstrate by a mathematical, formal proof
supply with necessities and support	provide evidence for
provide with nourishment	take a trial impression of
be the physical support of; carry the weight of	cause to puff up with a leaven
lengthen or extend in duration or space	increase in volume
	put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to
	be shown or be found to be