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Definition of supportnext
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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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

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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
Volunteers who provide support and rapid response to workers before and after immigration raids were also in attendance. Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026 This time around wasn’t as strenuous thanks to some run support. Molly Keshin, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Verb
For colleges and universities, supporting this participation is closely connected to student development. Chyann Sapp, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Duke also serves as a UN Ambassador for Responsible Tourism and supports Partners In Health in its mission to advance global health equity and social justice, continuing a legacy of service inspired by his late mother. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for support
Recent Examples of Synonyms for support
Noun
  • The Phillies’ need for both starting and bullpen arms has been apparent in the second half of the season, and the team will be weighing its options for external reinforcements ahead of the trade deadline.
    Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • No matter how long Gomez is ruled out for, Liverpool need defensive reinforcements.
    James Pearce, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Noun
  • The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance to locate a 21-year-old man prosecutors allege held another man against his will at Smithville Lake.
    Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is leading the death investigation with assistance from local, state and federal agencies.
    Margaret Baker, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
Verb
  • The campaign, a joint effort with SEIU Doctors United, aims to advocate for improved working conditions, stronger patient care and better protections for academic freedom.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
  • Star first baseman Bryce Harper has strongly advocated for aggressive trade deadline moves, suggesting the team acquire expensive veterans.
    Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Verb
  • This strategy is different from that of closed-model labs like OpenAI and Anthropic whose commercial position hinges on maintaining proprietary access to their most capable systems.
    Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
  • The lesson of Surfside is not simply that buildings must be maintained.
    Christyne D. Santisteban, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • Officials emphasize this unified approach will create safer roads, sustain wildlife, and potentially lower insurance costs for residents.
    Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Read Tully’s full analysis for his assessment of whether Apple can reclaim—and sustain—a $5 trillion valuation.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 31 July 2026
Verb
  • The experience reinforced her belief that the profession itself was never the problem.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Rounding out the formula are rice peptides, which help reinforce the cuticle for stronger, more resilient strands over time.
    Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 31 July 2026
Verb
  • Other South China Sea claimant states use the ruling to justify their own actions—and are sharply denounced by China each time.
    Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
  • In the past, summers have not been hot enough to justify the trouble for most homes.
    Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • Clinicians who need to verify a treatment protocol or check a rare drug interaction have historically relied on a familiar set of tools.
    Garth Friesen, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
  • The primary technical objective of the upcoming experimental sequence is to verify nuclear fusion reactions inside the Texatron confinement hardware.
    Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 25 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Support.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/support. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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