prop up

verb

propped up; propping up; props up

1

: 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

2

: 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

Two-year public colleges sit at the opposite extreme, at just 12%, propped up instead by state and local funding. — Scott White, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026

The strategy opens up China’s roughly $26 trillion pool of household savings—the world’s largest—to tech financing, and comes as authorities have moved unusually fast to prop up tech stocks during recent selloffs. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026

Karyn was in bed, propped up on a pillow, very thin under her floral coverlet. — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

For the rest, the military has influenced governments from the shadows, propping up civilian governments and tearing them down as needed. — Hasan Ali, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for prop up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup