buttressing

verb

present participle of buttress
1
as in sustaining
to hold up or serve as a foundation for a brace buttressed the wall

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 buttressing Veteran starter Lucas Giolito joined the organization last week, buttressing a shallow rotation. — Dennis Lin, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026 The competition with China will hinge not on mimicking Beijing’s methods but on buttressing the core strengths of the United States. — Lael Brainard, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025 Traffic among higher-income shoppers has grown, Kempczinski added, buttressing the company’s revenue. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2025 The upstream glaciers, now without their buttressing support, flow faster toward the sea. — Evan Howell, Quanta Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025 Any good Marxist can tell you that the ruling class of any nation will frequently make social concessions as a way of buttressing its brute political power with moral credibility. — Book Marks august 7, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttressing
  1. sustaining
  2. reinforcing
  3. supporting
  4. bolstering
  5. carrying
  6. upholding
Verb
  • Last year at the Venice Film Festival, Italy’s Fondazione Prada officially launched its film fund, aimed at sustaining independent cinema from around the world without any restrictions on theme, genre or language.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, left tackle Rashawn Slater, who missed all of last season after sustaining a knee injury in training camp, was sidelined for much of August because of a flare-up to that same knee.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of sustaining
Verb
  • Interiors are seamlessly integrated into the environment, reinforcing the very restraint and repose the hospitality group has become so renowned for since its inception in 1988.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026
  • As a result, non-Jewish sources have necessarily had to be privileged, a fact which has the unfortunate effect of reinforcing Jewish exclusion.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of reinforcing
Verb
  • The company says the plant could provide roughly 400 MW of electrical power without the risk of plasma disruptions, supporting its intended role as a source of baseload energy.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Finland has also been an attractive location for digital infrastructure supporting social media workloads, with TikTok planning on expanding its data center capacity in the country.
    — Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of supporting
Verb
  • The United States added 162,000 jobs in August, more than double what a consensus of economists had expected, bolstering confidence that the economy remains on solid footing.
    — Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The map, barring any major changes, will revert back to the boundaries lawmakers approved in 2022, bolstering Cleaver’s chances of reelection.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bolstering
Verb
  • Judge returned to the Yankees’ lineup Tuesday night carrying an astonishing 177 OPS+ in his career.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Of the new vulnerabilities, 112 of them are rated critical, with the remainder carrying the important designation.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of carrying
Verb
  • And neither were the co-hosts, who felt their fun, feel-good, not-that-serious event was suddenly being accused of upholding white supremacy.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding state bans did not create a nationwide mandate, leaving California’s policy in effect.
    — Alejandro Avila , Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of upholding

Browse Nearby Words

buttresses
buttressing
butts
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Cite this Entry

“Buttressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttressing. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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