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buttresses 1 of 2

noun

plural of buttress
1
as in anchors
something or someone to which one looks for support the mother had always been the buttress of our family in trying times

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2
as in pillars
a structure that holds up or serves as a foundation for something else after the wall collapsed, the construction company agreed to rebuild it with a buttress

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buttresses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of buttress
1
as in supports
to hold up or serve as a foundation for a brace buttressed the wall

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2
as in reinforces
to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea) a mass of circumstantial evidence buttresses the prosecutor's case

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of buttresses
Noun
With their swollen, flaring buttresses and soaring heights of 80 feet or more, the trees are awe-inspiring when reflected in the dark water. — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026 Researchers have been concerned that without their icy buttresses, these walls could collapse. — Megan I. Gannon, Scientific American, 6 May 2026 Three setbacks provide space for landscaped terraces, and at these floors, the structural columns slope inward, becoming tall buttresses that reintegrate into the latticework. — Adam Williams april 21, New Atlas, 21 Apr. 2026 Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality. — Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026 There were also some spider-like buttresses for the London streets. — Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Dec. 2023
Verb
The document filed by the Justice Department in the Los Angeles Superior Court case led by plaintiffs Todd and Kimberley Ferrier — whose Pacific Palisades home burned down — buttresses arguments made by the victims’ attorneys. — Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026 That very insight further buttresses the need for a grand strategy. — James B. Steinberg, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttresses
  1. anchors
  2. pillars
  3. supports
  4. reinforces
  5. backbones
  6. shores
  7. sustains
  8. bolsters
Noun
  • Berman is one of a growing number of traditional news anchors being assigned to new interactive formats that give viewers and subscribers more say over what gets discussed.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The Boilermakers’ defensive line features five high-impact players that are at least 6-foot-3, and a nose tackle who weighs in at 301 pounds and anchors a defensive front that ranks second in the Big Ten with 17 tackles for loss.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of anchors
Noun
  • Cage solved my next problem by insisting that the way to discover new things is to overcome our dependence on our likes and dislikes, those supposed pillars of criticism.
    — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Today, the offering is broken down into three pillars in men’s as well as a women’s division, Cater explained.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of pillars
Verb
  • The company currently supports more than 90,000 engines worldwide through its maintenance, repair, and overhaul network.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
  • When unfolded, the chassis doubles as an adjustable stand that supports front, rear, ceiling, and portrait projection modes.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of supports
Verb
  • This further reinforces the need to make deliberate choices about what to build, what to license and where to focus engineering resources to create the most value.
    — Iri Trashanski, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The purchase restriction reinforces Patagonia’s message that equipment alone cannot make big-wave surfing safe.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of reinforces
Noun
  • The structural backbones of the phalanges are 3D-printed from PLA, while soft silicone interfaces provide friction and compliance when the fingers contact a branch.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026
  • More specifically, insects are invertebrates (animals without backbones) and are part of the arthropod phylum, which also includes spiders, crabs, and centipedes.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of backbones
Noun
  • The next night, the Dead brought the Bangles onstage, on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, to sing along and dance — a truly surreal duet.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Set in the Basque Country in 1930, the film tells the story of an English ship that is stranded on the shores of Biscay during a violent storm.
    — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of shores
Verb
  • The Ellis-Beauregard Foundation provides resources and support for artists, engages with the community, and sustains the legacy of its founding artists, Joan Beauregard and David Ellis.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Supported by Waugh’s muscular direction, Wilson and Ritchson work well together in a chase film whose thinly sketched premise barely sustains its wall-to-wall action sequences.
    — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of sustains
Verb
  • In the end, however, Missouri appears poised to use in November a map lawmakers passed in 2022, an extraordinary development that bolsters Cleaver’s chances of reelection and strikes a blow to Trump.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Their arrival in the Swiss festival’s gala program bolsters its position as an awards season stop-off.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of bolsters

Browse Nearby Words

buttressed
buttresses
buttressing
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Cite this Entry

“Buttresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttresses. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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