underpin
verb
un·der·pin
ˌən-dər-ˈpin 
underpinned; underpinning; underpins
1
: support, substantiate
underpin a thesis with evidence
2
: to form part of, strengthen, or replace the foundation of
underpin a structure
underpin a sagging building
Examples of underpin in a Sentence
a wall underpinned by metal beams
the central beliefs that underpin a free society
Recent Examples on the Web
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, a longtime faculty member at UM’s architecture school who wrote the city’s Miami 21 code, which has underpinned the current explosion of dense, walkable redevelopment, said government should be clearly communicating the issues Miami-Dade faces, but isn’t.
—
Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
That resilient network that Sharla coded up in the 1960s underpins our entire modern internet.
—Laura Isensee, Scientific American, 18 May 2026
The memory underpinning those systems needs to hold up in one of the harshest environments imaginable.
—Deena Theresa, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
Google said in a March 31 blog post that the research team found an approximately 20-fold reduction in the number of physical qubits needed to solve the fundamental math puzzle that underpins ECC.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for underpin
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Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
That resilient network that Sharla coded up in the 1960s underpins our entire modern internet.
—Laura Isensee, Scientific American, 18 May 2026
The memory underpinning those systems needs to hold up in one of the harshest environments imaginable.
—Deena Theresa, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
Google said in a March 31 blog post that the research team found an approximately 20-fold reduction in the number of physical qubits needed to solve the fundamental math puzzle that underpins ECC.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for underpin
Cite this Entry
“Underpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underpin. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
underpin
verb
un·der·pin
-ˈpin
1
: to give support to
underpin an argument with evidence
2
: to form part of, strengthen, or replace the foundation of
underpin a structure
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