supporting 1 of 2

adjective

as in supportive
serving to give support to the truth or factualness of something scientists looking for direct supporting evidence of microscopic black holes, the existence of which is theoretical

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

supporting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of support
1
as in advocating
to promote the interests or cause of though childless themselves, they support the local schools both by volunteering and by fiercely opposing funding cuts

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2
as in keeping
to pay the living expenses of a young widow supporting a sick mother as well as two small children on a teacher's salary

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

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4
as in reinforcing
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
5
as in defending
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

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6
as in verifying
to give evidence or testimony to the truth or factualness of new evidence supports the original researchers' unexpected conclusions

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in assisting
to provide (someone) with what is useful or necessary to achieve an end sent reinforcements to support the troops deployed overseas

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8
as in tolerating
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

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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 supporting
Adjective
The incredible supporting cast is made up entirely of old-hand character actors, promising but underknown newcomers, and comedy- or comedy-adjacent figures with passionate niche followings and Gumby-esque limbs. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 June 2026 Some went after Cashman, some after Boone, some after Steinbrenner’s son Hal, and some after Aaron Judge’s non-supporting cast. — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025 Sure, that was exacerbated, and to some degree directly caused, by the ample non-supporting cast around him, especially on the offensive line. — Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
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 Canning Mayor Patrick Hall said the city was supporting the truck driver involved in the crash and would review the circumstances to determine whether additional safety measures were needed, 7NEWS reported. — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026 His comments about Democrats supporting transgender athletes drew boos from the audience. — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026 In a declaration supporting their complaint, Becker noted that California is mulling a bill, SB 813, that would establish a process where independent organizations would set baselines for AI safety standards. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026 Homer also described the three as supporting Aphrodite, the goddess of love, after her birth. — Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026 Commercial management focuses on protecting and growing an investment while supporting businesses that rely on the property to generate revenue. — David Crown, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Across the 24 countries surveyed in 2025, roughly one in nine respondents preferred that their country maintain strong economic ties with both powers rather than supporting one over the other. — Adam Y. Liu, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supporting
  1. supportive
  2. advocating
  3. keeping
  4. sustaining
  5. reinforcing
  6. defending
  7. verifying
  8. assisting
Adjective
  • That’s City Controller Kenneth Mejia, an incumbent who earned more votes than Bass, Raman or then-candidate Spencer Pratt, and who’s supportive of Raman’s approach to the city budget.
    — Paris Barraza, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Ahead of the ruling, Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for the referendum campaign, pointed to the fact that the lawsuit included plaintiffs and defendants who were both supportive of the gerrymandered map.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of supportive
Verb
  • Cheng said at the time that she was told by her supervisor that employees of the Journal should not be seen as advocating for press freedom in a place like Hong Kong given a potential conflict of interest.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The organization is advocating for greater federal support through the bipartisan Jewish American Security Act, which would strengthen security assistance for at-risk nonprofit institutions.
    — Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of advocating
Verb
  • Staying committed to that against a Parsons-less Packers front will be key to keeping Love off the field and helping Murray settle in at quarterback.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Then there is the issue of keeping the system in a quantum state.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of keeping
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
  • This week provides a major test for Houser and the offense with defending ACC champ Duke and defensive guru Manny Diaz coming to Champaign.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The office of the state attorney general is responsible for defending death penalty convictions on appeal.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of defending
Verb
  • From a security standpoint, verifying political senders can help make impersonation harder.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The report also alleges the agency has set up a policy for verifying ballot envelopes that could result in many voters not getting their ballots in time for the midterm election or at all.
    — Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of verifying
Verb
  • Under Beijing’s tightening grip, lawyers assisting those whom authorities viewed as dissidents also have faced pressure.
    — Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Thank you to the first responders who are assisting at the scene.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of assisting

Browse Nearby Words

support hoses
supporting
supportive
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Cite this Entry

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

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