prop up

phrasal verb

propped up; propping up; props up

: to stop (something) from falling or slipping by placing something under or against it

We propped up the beams with long boards.

propped the plant stems up

: to give help, encouragement, or support to (someone)

His faith propped him up in times of crisis.

Examples of prop up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Not in the Dodgers’ clubhouse before the game, when Yamamoto sat alone at his locker, then with his legs propped up on a black leather couch, quietly reviewing scouting reports as reporters swarmed the otherwise empty room. —

Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2024 By propping up the share price of the stock of the cash-hemorrhaging social media company, shareholders have potentially put billions of dollars in Donald Trump’s pocket. —

Andrea Bernstein, ProPublica, 5 June 2024 López Obrador has invested billions of dollars in refinery projects and in propping up the plodding state oil giant, Pemex. —

Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024 The couple participated in Black Lives Matter protests in Washington, propped up Biden-Harris signs, and on the Saturday in November when the election was called, whooped and danced in the streets of the nation’s capital. —

Jodi Kantor, New York Times, 28 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for prop up

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prop up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.