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

Affluent Americans have been propping up overall consumer spending, a primary engine for the economy; retail sales rose for a third-straight month in April. —Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 23 May 2026

Last summer, even before the most recent pricing pressures, industry research suggested higher ticket prices were helping to prop up the overall health of the market. —Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 23 May 2026

Lisa propped up a ladder that Lucia could climb, and made the other kids use it too. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 23 May 2026

The couple was accused of funneling millions from the law firm to prop up Erika’s music career. —Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026

Rhymes for prop up

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