SUPPORT Synonyms: 318 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'support' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of support are advocate , back , champion , and uphold . While all these words mean "to favor actively one that meets opposition," support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given. // supports waterfront development

Q: When could 'advocate' be used to replace 'support'?

While in some cases nearly identical to support , advocate stresses urging or pleading. // advocated prison reform

Q: Where would 'back' be a reasonable alternative to 'support'?

In some situations, the words back and support are roughly equivalent. However, back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling. // refusing to back the call for sanctions

Q: When can 'champion' be used instead of 'support'?

The words champion and support are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause. // championed the rights of children

Q: When is it sensible to use 'uphold' instead of 'support'?

While the synonyms uphold and support are close in meaning, uphold implies extended support given to something attacked. // upheld the legitimacy of the military action

support 1 of 2

noun

Definition of support

as in reinforcement

a structure that holds up or serves as a foundation for something else if you don't add a couple more supports to that tower of blocks, it's going to fall down

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in assistance

an act or instance of helping the team's victory owes a lot to Joe's strong support in left field

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

support

2 of 2

verb

sə-ˈpȯrt

as in to advocate

to promote the interests or cause of though childless themselves, they support the local schools both by volunteering and by fiercely opposing funding cuts

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to maintain

to pay the living expenses of a young widow supporting a sick mother as well as two small children on a teacher's salary

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to sustain

to hold up or serve as a foundation for pillars supporting the bridge

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to reinforce

to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea) studies that support the claim that red wine drinkers have a reduced risk of coronary disease and cancer

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to justify

to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections we support the students' right to speak out on local issues that affect them

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to verify

to give evidence or testimony to the truth or factualness of new evidence supports the original researchers' unexpected conclusions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to assist

to provide (someone) with what is useful or necessary to achieve an end sent reinforcements to support the troops deployed overseas

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to tolerate

to put up with (something painful or difficult) he simply cannot support the thought of having to go on living without his beloved wife at his side

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of support are advocate, back, champion, and uphold. While all these words mean "to favor actively one that meets opposition," support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given.

supports waterfront development

When could advocate be used to replace support?

While in some cases nearly identical to support, advocate stresses urging or pleading.

advocated prison reform

Where would back be a reasonable alternative to support?

In some situations, the words back and support are roughly equivalent. However, back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling.

refusing to back the call for sanctions

When can champion be used instead of support?

The words champion and support are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause.

championed the rights of children

When is it sensible to use uphold instead of support?

While the synonyms uphold and support are close in meaning, uphold implies extended support given to something attacked.

upheld the legitimacy of the military action

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 support

Noun

With his support, Dreitzer’s office has worked hand-in-hand on the lawsuits with Nevada’s Democratic attorney general, Aaron Ford. — Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 Unlike a professional bike race, the Sun Trip has no support vehicles and no safety net. — New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026

Verb

This means eating grapefruit can boost your water intake and support overall hydration. — Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 31 Aug. 2026 Getting enough magnesium — a mineral involved in hundreds of bodily processes — can help support several aspects of health and overall well-being during this stage of life. — Jo Ann Liguori, Flow Space, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for support

Recent Examples of Synonyms for support

Noun

The approach uses adversarial inverse reinforcement learning (AIRL) to learn walking strategies from stick insects.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Two police unions, the Sindicato Unificado de Policia and Confederacion Espanola de Policia, requested extensive reinforcements from the mainland.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of reinforcement

Noun

Industries such as healthcare and social assistance (+28,400) continued to add jobs while local government education (+41,900 jobs) reversed a large loss from July (-57,500).

— Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
In mid-2025, for example, Congress clawed back nearly $8 billion in foreign assistance funds.

— Anna Nelson, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of assistance

Verb

Environmental groups advocated for SB 954 over concerns that the CEQA exemption could allow heavily polluting facilities to bypass environmental review.

— Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Insisting on tax cuts and voting for politicians who will, of course, advocate them, has exacerbated the problem.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of advocate

Verb

For most of us, the results emphasize the role muscles play in maintaining our general health.

— Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
Laboratory testing confirms the blends meet regulatory standards, deliver superior anti-knock and anti-detonation performance, and maintain high oxidation stability, along with low sulfur and benzene levels.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of maintain

Verb

For crews responsible for sustaining the Minuteman III fleet, that capability could prove valuable as the system’s service life continues.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
The midfielder turned right-back sustained the damage during Sunday’s 4-3 defeat at Chelsea after he was struck in the face by the ball.

— Andy Naylor, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of sustain

Verb

Leeds, their defence reinforced by the arrival of Tarik Muharemovic, look like a tough nut to crack.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Unlike ceramides, which reinforce the moisture barrier, or hyaluronic acid, which mainly hydrates at the surface, urea can moisturize and, at higher strengths, exfoliate dead skin cells.

— Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of reinforce

Verb

Long-term resource potential Technical performance alone cannot justify a project; economic balance governs actual field deployment.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
The prosecution and defense both gave closing arguments Tuesday during the second preliminary hearing since July, which is a limited purpose proceeding held for a judge to determine whether the charges are justified.

— Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of justify

Verb

Meta is also promising to do a better job of verifying users' ages and has agreed to report regularly to an independent auditor.

— Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
Similar efforts to make quantum hardware more resilient include quantum chips designed to verify their own hardware, showing how reliability is becoming a problem that researchers are tackling at several levels.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of verify

Browse Nearby Words

supplying

support

supportable

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Style

“Support.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/support. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of support

noun

verb

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