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
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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
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.
—Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
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
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.
—Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttressing
Verb
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Her hyperfocus on the leaf raises questions that extend far beyond the kitchen, inviting an inquiry into the banana plant’s movement across geographies and its role in sustaining cultural traditions.—
Sophia Rey,
JSTOR Daily,
28 May 2026
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Emotionally cornered and spiritually exhausted, Anatoly at last lets everything rupture to the surface, sustaining the anthem's climactic note for over 20 seconds.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Now owned by Walgreens Boots Alliance, the business has increasingly leaned into beauty-box culture as a way of competing with younger, digitally native beauty retailers while reinforcing authority in skincare and wellness.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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For NeuroMD Medical Technologies, this means continuing to invest in research, refining its product offering, and reinforcing its position within a competitive landscape.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Verb
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While that is still a possibility, Breslow hasn’t interviewed any candidates and is right now focused on supporting Tracy.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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The resulting benefits supporting pregnancy care, fertility care, surrogacy, adoption, egg freezing and the like have gained in popularity and made significant impacts.—
Rachel Braun Scherl,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
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The answer to bolstering power grids is not just to build more high-voltage transmission lines.—
Fangxing Fran Li,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
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Some hope that incoming dollars associated with fees paid by Nebius, the company behind a $150 billion hyperscale data center under construction, will support the city’s growth by bolstering the two-district school system active in Independence.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Behind him, in single file, trailed a troop of men and women carrying decades-old L1A1 and Lee-Enfield rifles.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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The system relied on an 11-parachute sequence to safely decelerate the capsule carrying a crew of four astronauts from over 25,000 mph in space to a gentle 20 mph splashdown.—
Pat Maio,
Oc Register,
29 May 2026
Verb
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There are few guidelines on how to deal with rumors while upholding conventional values of accuracy, verification, and transparency.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
28 May 2026
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About 1 in 3 states didn’t even employ one staffer whose full-time job was to ensure that nonprofit funds were properly managed and that people in their states who ran nonprofits were upholding their financial and ethical duties, according to the survey.—
Sarah Webber,
Fortune,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Buttressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttressing. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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