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

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

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Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing uphold

• uphold the decision

• uphold the decision

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