uphold

1 to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections <determined to uphold her views in the face of all challenges> Synonyms defend, justify, support, maintainRelated Words advocate, champion, espouse; confirm, vindicate, warrant; affirm, assert, aver, avouch, avow, claim, contend, insist, plead, proclaim, profess, protest, state; argue, debate, discuss; emphasize, stress, underline, underscoreNear Antonyms abandon, abjure, forsake, recant, retract, take back, withdraw; reverse, switch; controvert, disprove, rebut, refute

2 to hold up or serve as a foundation for <an entablature upheld by a series of gracefully slender columns> Synonyms bear, bolster, brace, buttress, carry, prop (up), shore (up), stay, sustain, undergird, underpin, supportRelated Words steady, truss, underlie

3 to move from a lower to a higher place or position <worshippers upheld their joined hands and sang the praises of the Lord> Synonyms boost, crane, elevate, heave, heft, heighten, hike, hoist, jack (up), lift, perk (up), pick up, take up, up, raise, uplift, upraiseRelated Words ascend, mount, rise; rear, upendNear Antonyms descend, dip, fall, pitch, plunge, slip; bear, depress, press, push; sink, submergeAntonyms drop, lower