Synonyms of uphold

uphold

verb

(ˌ)əp-ˈhōld 

1

as in to defend

to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections

determined to uphold her views in the face of all challenges

Synonyms & Similar Words

• defend
• maintain
• justify
• support
• affirm
• advocate
• assert
• proclaim
• stick up for
• stand up for
• confirm
• vindicate
• insist
• discuss
• espouse
• plead
• contend
• emphasize
• argue
• profess
• claim
• champion
• state
• protest
• warrant
• aver
• underline
• avow
• debate
• underscore
• avouch
• stress

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• withdraw
• abandon
• forsake
• retract
• take back
• reverse
• switch
• recant
• abjure
• refute
• disprove
• rebut
• controvert

2

as in to sustain

to hold up or serve as a foundation for

an entablature upheld by a series of gracefully slender columns

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sustain
• carry
• support
• bolster
• stay
• underpin
• buttress
• bear
• undergird
• brace
• shore (up)
• prop (up)
• underlie
• steady
• truss

3

as in to lift

to move from a lower to a higher place or position

worshippers upheld their joined hands and sang the praises of the Lord

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lift
• raise
• elevate
• uplift
• hoist
• heighten
• take up
• boost
• heave
• hike
• up
• pick up
• crane
• heft
• rise
• ascend
• perk (up)
• jack (up)
• upraise
• mount
• upend
• rear

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• drop
• lower
• fall
• descend
• push
• slip
• bear
• plunge
• dip
• press
• depress
• pitch
• sink
• submerge

Synonym Chooser

How is the word uphold different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of uphold are advocate, back, champion, and support. While all these words mean "to favor actively one that meets opposition," uphold implies extended support given to something attacked.

upheld the legitimacy of the military action

When is advocate a more appropriate choice than uphold?

While the synonyms advocate and uphold are close in meaning, advocate stresses urging or pleading.

advocated prison reform

When is it sensible to use back instead of uphold?

The meanings of back and uphold largely overlap; however, back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling.

refusing to back the call for sanctions

When might champion be a better fit than uphold?

The synonyms champion and uphold are sometimes interchangeable, but champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause.

championed the rights of children

In what contexts can support take the place of uphold?

While in some cases nearly identical to uphold, support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given.

supports waterfront development

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of uphold

And two federal circuit courts of appeal upheld injunctions blocking the order from taking effect. —Dan Mangan, CNBC, 1 Apr. 2026

Hundreds of thousands of babies each year could be denied citizenship, many of them in South Florida, if the order is upheld, raising questions about legal status and access to basic rights. —Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026

Courts, however, have consistently rejected or sidestepped those 14th Amendment claims over the past quarter century, while almost uniformly upholding the policy interpretation. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 31 Mar. 2026

Perez went 1-for-2; a ball called by home plate umpire Alex Tosi was upheld. —Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026