uphold

verb

up·​hold (ˌ)əp-ˈhōld 

upheld (ˌ)əp-ˈheld  ; upholding

transitive verb

1

a

: to give support to

b

: to support against an opponent

2

a

: to keep elevated

b

: to lift up

upholder noun

Synonyms

• defend
• justify
• maintain
• support

Choose the Right Synonym for uphold

support, uphold, advocate, back, champion mean to favor actively one that meets opposition.

support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given.

supports waterfront development

uphold implies extended support given to something attacked.

upheld the legitimacy of the military action

advocate stresses urging or pleading.

advocated prison reform

back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling.

refusing to back the call for sanctions

champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause.

championed the rights of children

Examples of uphold in a Sentence

He took an oath to uphold the Constitution.

They have a responsibility to uphold the law.

The Court of Appeals upheld his conviction.

Recent Examples on the Web

After facing legal challenges, a revised version of the ban was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. —Elise Hammond, CNN Money, 17 May 2025

The Founding Fathers, having witnessed the abuses of centralized power under British rule, embedded this model into the Constitution to ensure a system of checks and balances, where each branch could limit the powers of the others, safeguarding against tyranny and upholding the rule of law. —Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025

Greg Farmer, The Star’s executive editor, said the outcome upholds the public’s right to transparency. —Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2025

The social media platform briefly went offline in the U.S. in January, after the Supreme Court upheld a law to ban it unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sold its stake in the app. —Dylan Butts, CNBC, 16 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing uphold

• uphold the decision

Rhymes for uphold

• ahold
• behold
• billfold
• blindfold
• cajoled
• consoled
• controlled
• cotswold
• eightfold
• enfold
• enrolled
• extolled

Kids Definition

uphold

verb

up·​hold (ˌ)əp-ˈhōld 

upheld -ˈheld  ; upholding

1

: to give support to

promise to uphold the law

2

a

: to keep elevated

b

: to lift up

upholder noun

Legal Definition

uphold

transitive verb

up·​hold

upheld; upholding

: to judge valid : let stand

uphold an award

specifically : to hold constitutional

uphold the practice of having religious invocations and benedictions at high school graduation ceremonies

—Sands v. Morongo Unified Sch. Dist., 809 P.2d 809 (1991)(dissent)

uphold a statute