prop up
phrasal 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
Economists have been scratching their heads over how Americans can continue to prop up the economy with their spending despite high interest rates, persistent inflation, dwindling savings and rising debt.
—
Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Not long ago, Superdry was soaring through profit highs as consumers sought out the brand’s hoodies and puffer jackets, propping up its shares.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024
And the superiority of Nvidia’s software won’t hold forever, Luria said, because its customers are highly motivated to find ways to reduce their spending on the chips by developing their own AI products and propping up Nvidia’s competitors.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
Now, some of them are trying to prop up a parallel economy with their own payment platforms, social media, and even computers.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
Bottom Line: Don't rely on adverbs to prop up weak verbs.
—Renae Gregoire, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The result, for me, was worth the temporary aches and sleeping propped up — and yes, even the money.
—Patricia Tortolani, Allure, 3 Apr. 2024
The family of six sits on a lawn together, with former football wide receiver Eric Decker, 37, propping up son Denver Calloway, 7 weeks.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
That relentless consumption has invigorated the post-pandemic economy and propped up millions of service-sector jobs.
—Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Not long ago, Superdry was soaring through profit highs as consumers sought out the brand’s hoodies and puffer jackets, propping up its shares.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024
And the superiority of Nvidia’s software won’t hold forever, Luria said, because its customers are highly motivated to find ways to reduce their spending on the chips by developing their own AI products and propping up Nvidia’s competitors.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
Now, some of them are trying to prop up a parallel economy with their own payment platforms, social media, and even computers.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
Bottom Line: Don't rely on adverbs to prop up weak verbs.
—Renae Gregoire, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The result, for me, was worth the temporary aches and sleeping propped up — and yes, even the money.
—Patricia Tortolani, Allure, 3 Apr. 2024
The family of six sits on a lawn together, with former football wide receiver Eric Decker, 37, propping up son Denver Calloway, 7 weeks.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
That relentless consumption has invigorated the post-pandemic economy and propped up millions of service-sector jobs.
—Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near prop up
Cite this Entry
“Prop up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prop%20up. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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