support 1 of 2

Definition of supportnext
1
2
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

3
as in to sustain
to hold up or serve as a foundation for pillars supporting the bridge

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5
6
7
8

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
The series' first PC release adds ray tracing, ultra-widescreen support, and crossplay, and early players have flagged the port as surprisingly well optimized. Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026 The project will use robots across the entire guest experience, from reception and room service to cleaning, food preparation and guest support. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
Verb
Such systems could provide the high bandwidth, low latency, and energy efficiency needed to support next-generation AI workloads without relying solely on larger clusters of increasingly power-hungry processors. Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026 The local federation operates a number of programs directly and supports a wide range of education, cultural, religious and security initiatives meant to strengthen the Jewish community. Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for support
Recent Examples of Synonyms for support
Noun
  • Atlas performed a series of soccer moves developed using a combination of motion retargeting, reinforcement learning and whole-body control.
    Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • Hundreds of firefighters battled blazes in Portugal, Greece and Spain on Sunday, with Spain and Italy sending reinforcements to Portugal to help with a massive blaze burning for more than three days.
    Elena Becatoros, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
Noun
  • Waymo’s support team is automatically notified if the vehicle crashes, and a roadside assistance representative will come to the collision site to assess the situation in person.
    Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026
  • The man behind the wheel overrode driver-assistance features and fully pressed the car’s accelerator, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
    Faiz Siddiqui, Washington Post, 17 July 2026
Verb
  • The pastor didn’t suggest endorsing candidates, but instead focusing on issues, like advocating for immigration reform, and using religion as a tool for community organizing.
    Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026
  • With age minimums as leverage, the trust and safety teams within each company can advocate for design changes, like Snapchat’s, that prioritize kids’ well-being and safety over engagement.
    Ravi Iyer, Time, 18 July 2026
Verb
  • Demand for high-bandwidth memory chips continues to outstrip supply as cloud providers race to build AI infrastructure, allowing leading memory makers such as SK Hynix and Micron to maintain strong pricing power.
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 July 2026
  • The Pentagon also wants systems that can move, store, launch, recover, maintain, and manage different types of autonomous aircraft on land and at sea, all with as few people as possible.
    Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
Verb
  • Desalination plants are significant in the Middle East region, providing a key lifeline of drinking water and sustaining certain remote regions through droughts.
    Monica Haider, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • Although revenues have expanded substantially, income needs to continue growing rapidly for Newcastle to sustain a higher salary base and regularly sign the best players.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 July 2026
Verb
  • The Athletics have been the worst team in Major League Baseball for nearly two months and reinforced that point Friday night in their first game since the All-Star break.
    Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 18 July 2026
  • Reinaldo Dias da Rocha, who is from the same community, said his father had already encouraged him not to hunt sharks, but the project had reinforced the importance of preserving the animals.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026
Verb
  • Duke then justified its presence in the ACC championship by beating Virginia 27-20 in overtime.
    Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026
  • But that valuation is justified given CAVA’s strong qualitative fundamentals, such as recent menu innovations and high customer loyalty, leaving the stock attractive, Morgan Stanley said.
    Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 15 July 2026
Verb
  • If successful, users could one day verify the operations performed by a quantum computer without having to trust the company running it.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026
  • Won’t verifying everyone’s age force all users to hand over sensitive identity documents?
    Ravi Iyer, Time, 18 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Support.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/support. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on support

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!