undergirding

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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29 July 2026 Beyond the commercial aspect, the assumptions undergirding death positivity have begun to feel nearly as outdated as putting lipstick on a corpse.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
  • Arneson’s son was left orphaned and is now being raised by his grandparents after sustaining minor injuries in the crash, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Expanding shipyard capacity without sustaining the suppliers is unlikely to deliver the fleet the nation needs.
    — George Whittier, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Ethiopia has also accused Eritrea of supporting rebel groups operating inside Ethiopian territory.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The supporting actress placement also puts Hathaway in a category that, at least this early in the season, looks less crowded than the lead actress race.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • This one moved from *NSYNC and Drake to Usher and Kool & the Gang, with brass filling stadiums and drumlines carrying the energy long after the opening kick of Week 3 in HBCU football.
    — Wilton Jackson, AJC.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Last month, Customs Air and Marine Operations agents stopped a boat about 22 nautical miles from Miami-Dade County carrying 19 people from Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The statement noted that such a framework shall enable both sides to improve their economic development while bolstering their national security in the Indo-Pacific space.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Colleges are experimenting with business-specific internships and bolstering training in AI tools.
    — Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Even as so many families rely on the bus for their kids to get an education, most of the legal agreements underpinning the city’s school transportation system have not been modernized in decades.
    — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • But these tools are only as good as the data underpinning them, which needs to be unified, accurate, current and accessible.
    — Alex Saric, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Kathleen Lord-Jones, an aviation cabin safety expert from Robson Forensic, explained the meticulous process of upholding food safety practices, from kitchen to tray table.
    — Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2026
  • And neither were the co-hosts, who felt their fun, feel-good, not-that-serious event was suddenly being accused of upholding white supremacy.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Undergirding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undergirding. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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