Thesaurus results for UNDERGIRDING

undergirding

verb

present participle of undergird

as in sustaining

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 undergirding This week, Ars hosted a live discussion with Ross Scott about the Stop Killing Games movement and its ongoing efforts to ensure that games remain playable even after the original publisher shuts down the online servers undergirding them. — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026 The gain helps cement Microsoft’s Azure as a leading cloud giant behind Amazon Web Services, and as one of the most prominent providers of the infrastructure undergirding the AI era. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 29 July 2026 Beyond the commercial aspect, the assumptions undergirding death positivity have begun to feel nearly as outdated as putting lipstick on a corpse. — John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026 But for hardcore believers, this didn’t mean that the philosophy undergirding the Soviet experiment was wrong. — Literary Hub, 21 July 2026 But there are key threads undergirding it. — Megan Feringa, New York Times, 17 May 2026 OpenAI is at the heart of a web of deals undergirding the artificial intelligence boom that has helped power the entire stock market higher. — Rob Wile, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026 In the early 2000s it was shown that there are at least 10500 different configurations of the six compact dimensions, each theoretically undergirding a universe with different properties. — Quanta Magazine, 23 Mar. 2026 That fear, undergirding all of our hard work. — Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for undergirding

Verb

For production designer Nina Ruscio, creating that world meant building an emergency department capable of sustaining the series’ relentless pace without ever feeling repetitive.

— Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026
Highlighting and sharing what others are doing is key to sustaining usage.

— Karen Dahut, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of sustaining

Verb

The remaining counts were split between supporting the lifting of the ban and undecided.

— Brittney Ermon, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Twenty-seven percent showed indifference, however, possibly demonstrating that most voters would be fine supporting them in a general election, said Christian Grose, a political science professor at the University of Southern California.

— Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of supporting

Verb

In 2012, a smiling Jason Arday was photographed by the British press carrying the Olympic flame in the torch relay that preceded the London Games.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
The crash involved the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket that originally launched on January 15, 2025, carrying two commercial lunar landers.

— Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of carrying

Verb

Rather than bolstering the midfield department, Liverpool’s resources are set to be spent strengthening their options in attacking wide areas prior to the deadline.

— James Pearce, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
To grow the bottom line, executives are focused on both bolstering the network’s place as the cable bundle’s most valuable channel and reaching a new generation of fans who have largely swapped channel flipping with feed swiping.

— Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of bolstering

Verb

As Nvidia partners with Wall Street firms to mobilize more than $500 billion of third-party capital for AI infrastructure, the increasingly complex financing underpinning the boom is coming under closer scrutiny.

— Hugh Leask, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
There’s pathos, and shrewd irony, underpinning his performance.

— Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of underpinning

Verb

The nine-time Grammy Award-winning blues guitarist was recognized Saturday night for significantly shaping the music industry and upholding the city's identity, while inspiring generations.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026
In December, the tribunal issued its final judgment in The Hague—a symbolic choice given the city’s role as a center of international justice—upholding the charge of gender persecution.

— Rina Amiri, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of upholding

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undergirding

undergirds

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“Undergirding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undergirding. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of undergirding

verb

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