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

This isn’t simply a case of a coach propping up one of his former players. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 15 Jan. 2026

Then, Smear's foot — which is shielded by a cast and propped up — appeared on a large screen and the camera flipped around to show Smear resting on a couch. —Daniela Avila, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026

In the face of it all, their promises of kickstarting a technological revolution that could one day be immensely profitable remain convincing enough for investors to prop up sky-high valuations — at least for now. —Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 14 Jan. 2026

The duo spearheaded the move, continuing a trend of propping up the franchise for the present and future and also ensuring to pay homage to the nostalgic years that featured some of the best times of pro basketball in Charlotte. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 14 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for prop up

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