uphold

verb

up·​hold (ˌ)əp-ˈhōld How to pronounce uphold (audio)
upheld (ˌ)əp-ˈheld How to pronounce uphold (audio) ; 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
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

Example Sentences

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 As attorney general, Governor-elect Shapiro stood up to the oil and gas industry and took the DEP to task for failing to uphold residents’ constitutional right to clean air and water. Colin Jerolmack, The New Republic, 9 Jan. 2023 Prior to that, Nikol Pashinyan repeatedly accused Moscow's peacekeeping force of failing to uphold its responsibilities, something the Kremlin has denied. Arkansas Online, 29 Dec. 2022 Tornetta and his lawyers allege that Musk and the board failed to uphold their financial responsibilities to shareholders. Matt Mcfarland, CNN, 18 Nov. 2022 The Alabama Court of the Judiciary, the panel tasked with hearing ethics complaints against judges, last year ruled that Jinks failed to uphold the integrity and independence of the court system. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2022 Amy Wempner accuses the district of failing to uphold its settlement commitments. Mario Koran, Journal Sentinel, 19 Oct. 2022 Last week, however, the editors at our school newspaper comically failed to uphold that commitment. Parker Abt, National Review, 14 Apr. 2022 Apple has repeatedly failed to uphold this standard. Renaye Manely, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2022 Political opponents and civic organizations have staged large street protests and dragged the government to court for failing to uphold its constitutional mandate as the outages have interrupted trade, education and health care. Lynsey Chutel, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2023 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'uphold.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of uphold was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near uphold

Cite this Entry

“Uphold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uphold. Accessed 26 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

uphold

verb
up·​hold (ˌ)əp-ˈhōld How to pronounce uphold (audio)
upheld -ˈheld How to pronounce uphold (audio) ; 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

More from Merriam-Webster on uphold

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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