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
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
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
  • The goal isn’t to slow down every part of the day but rather to build a few slow anchors that keep the rest from spinning out.
    — Allison Palmer July 9, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
  • Later, the co-anchors were joined by their spouses, Lindsay Czarniak and Mike Feldman, respectively, to take in the World Cup match in which Norway upset Brazil at MetLife Stadium.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026
Definition of anchors
Noun
  • Still, the pieces of ceiling trim dedicated to the pillars of courage and trust remained missing, a nod perhaps to the traits most easily lost when disaster strikes – and most needed to rebuild.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • The only way to preserve our republic is to strengthen the pillars of our present with the mortar of our past.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of pillars
Verb
  • The developer behind the skyscraper – the former Pfizer headquarters being converted into apartments – previously told CNN that faulty column supports carrying too much weight were to blame, and the building has since been stabilized.
    — Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • The program supports people with limited income who are blind, age 65 or older, or have a qualifying disability.
    — Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026
Definition of supports
Verb
  • Jim said the report reinforces why the Club recently exited its position in Arm to buy more shares of Intel .
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 14 July 2026
  • Gross argues that the report reinforces a concern repeatedly raised by employers.
    — Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of reinforces
Noun
  • Look under rocks for macroinvertebrates (animals without backbones, like stoneflies).
    — Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 18 June 2026
  • Data centers also need to be close enough to users and network backbones to provide fast digital services.
    — Sven Bilén, The Conversation, 16 June 2026
Definition of backbones
Noun
  • Peter the Great’s dream The Sea of Azov is an inland sea that sits between the southern shores of Ukraine and Russia, a kind of an appendix to the bigger Black Sea.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • The action mercifully settles into a less disorienting rhythm before too long, but the choppy prologue at least has the benefit of conveying the tense disarray that has gripped the shores of Ithaca in the decades since King Odysseus left for battle.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 July 2026
Definition of shores
Verb
  • Beyond creating lifelong memories for families, the OC Fair is a key economic driver for the county that generates $109 million in wages and sustains nearly 2,200 jobs a year, according to an industry study released in May.
    — Claire Wang, Oc Register, 13 July 2026
  • What sustains a relationship over years and decades is not the occasional spectacular gesture but a subtle, more repetitive pattern of behavior.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of sustains
Verb
  • If successful, the experimental therapy could deliver an immune rejuvenation breakthrough – one that bolsters the immune system rather than targeting a specific pathogen or disease.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 July 2026
  • Langeliers bolsters All-Star bid Langeliers became just the second A’s player to hit at least 20 home runs in four straight seasons, following Khris Davis, who did so from 2016 through 2019.
    — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of bolsters

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buttresses
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Cite this Entry

“Buttresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttresses. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of buttresses for Spanish Speakers

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