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

The large stout trees with thick gnarling branches of a few decades ago are now flimsy bushes skinnier than hydrangeas that stand under 10 feet tall and need to be propped up with wood and steel trellises. —Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 14 Oct. 2025

Now seventy-nine, Curry spoke to me from his house in Los Angeles, his head propped up on red pillows. —Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025

The Wall Street Journal noted in 1996 that internet companies were propping up the stock market. —Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 10 Oct. 2025

Setup is as easy as plugging in the HDMI cable into your TV and the sound bar—thanks to HDMI ARC—and the slim profile allows this device to be wall-mounted or propped up on your TV stand. —PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2025

Rhymes for prop up

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