undergird
verb
Acts 27:17 (Revised Standard Version)Susan Q. Stranahan
Did you know?
When undergird was a new word in the 16th century, it was ships that were undergirded—that is, made secure below—and the undergirding was done by passing a rope or chain underneath. That literal sense has long since fallen out of use, but in the 19th century undergird picked up the figurative “strengthen” or “support” meaning that we still use. Centuries before anything was undergirded, however, people and things could be girded—that is, encircled or bound with a flexible band, such as a belt. Girding today is more often about preparing oneself to fight or to do something difficult, as in “girding themselves for an ideological battle.” About as old as gird is the word’s close relation, girdle, which originally referred to an article of clothing that circles the body usually at the waist; the girdles of today address the same anatomical territory but with the squeezy aim of making the waist look thinner. Gird also gives us girder, a noun referring to a horizontal piece supporting a structure.
Examples of undergird in a Sentence
Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Even on tour, fans go expecting dramatic catharsis to be undergirding all that glee.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
The story of a violent but ultimately fruitful encounter between Norman and Saxon worlds was coherent, accessible, and deeply relevant to the ideas and customs that still undergird much of British (and American) life.
—Will Collins, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
Power Train and Hardware Both trim levels are undergirded by a 94 kWh battery and two motors—one driving the front wheels, the other driving the rears—for all-wheel-drive capability.
—Brett Berk, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for undergird
Cite this Entry
“Undergird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undergird. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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undergird
verb
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