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

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29 July 2026 Beyond the commercial aspect, the assumptions undergirding death positivity have begun to feel nearly as outdated as putting lipstick on a corpse.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
  1. sustaining
  2. supporting
  3. carrying
  4. bolstering
  5. underpinning
  6. upholding
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
  • 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
Definition of supporting
Verb
  • Judge returned to the Yankees’ lineup Tuesday night carrying an astonishing 177 OPS+ in his career.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Of the new vulnerabilities, 112 of them are rated critical, with the remainder carrying the important designation.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of carrying
Verb
  • The United States added 162,000 jobs in August, more than double what a consensus of economists had expected, bolstering confidence that the economy remains on solid footing.
    — Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The map, barring any major changes, will revert back to the boundaries lawmakers approved in 2022, bolstering Cleaver’s chances of reelection.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bolstering
Verb
  • Of the industrial innovations underpinning this order, the assembly line and vertical integration were most significant.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Shalini Adnani’s poignant coming-of-age drama Our Share of Sand presents a unique perspective on India’s gaping class inequality, child labor and the deep corruption underpinning a family’s economic status.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of underpinning
Verb
  • 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
  • The Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding state bans did not create a nationwide mandate, leaving California’s policy in effect.
    — Alejandro Avila , Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of upholding

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Cite this Entry

“Undergirding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undergirding. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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