as in to sustain
to hold up or serve as a foundation for the theory of evolution undergirds virtually all of modern biology

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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 undergird Every year, year after year, workers in agencies that many of us have never heard of have been amassing the statistics that undergird decision-making at all levels of government and inform the judgments of business leaders, school administrators and medical providers nationwide. Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 18 Apr. 2025 This hectic oddness undergirds the conspiracy theories and wild extrapolations that course through the film and provides the rickety intellectual architecture for Dr. J.’s mercenary speculations. Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025 Yet even as humanity has (mostly) moved beyond the crude and cruel racial logics that underpinned the European imperial enterprise, Maine’s racial sorting of the world continues to undergird, and confound, our attempts to divide the planet into intuitive categories. Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2025 Federal jobs, typically known for their stability, help undergird a network of other positions and businesses that support them, from contractors to coffee shops. Jonathan Shorman and, Kansas City Star, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for undergird
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undergird
Verb
  • Shah: In the short term, sustained tariffs could trigger drug shortages, particularly for generic and specialty compounds.
    AllBusiness, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
  • Shipman said two university public safety officers sustained injuries as protesters forced their way into the building.
    Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • Powertec’s equipment, designed by those who use it, supports lifting up to 1,000 pounds, which is significantly higher than the industry standard.
    Kaitlyn Gomez, USA Today, 1 May 2025
  • Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501(c)(3) public charity.
    Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • The Sphere featured in a visual interlude that saw the singer picked it up from the Las Vegas strip, tapping it curiously, and then carrying it away.
    Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 May 2025
  • Photo : Mercedes-Benz AG The car carries the base model’s 577 hp, 4.0-liter biturbo V-8, which is mated to AMG’s nine-speed automatic transmission.
    Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 4 May 2025
Verb
  • And more than 260 Su-30 ground attack jets bolster India’s force.
    Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
  • However, bolstering domestic film and television production is in line with Trump’s agenda to bring jobs back from overseas, more generally.
    Katie Campione, Deadline, 2 May 2025

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“Undergird.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undergird. Accessed 13 May. 2025.

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