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 Ukrainians awoke on Wednesday to find that their military had been restricted in its use of Starshield, the American satellite service undergirding swaths of the nation’s defensive infrastructure and weaponry. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026 Gallego’s sweeping proposals certainly look like the policy engine undergirding a 2028 presidential campaign. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026 The paradox is at the heart of the magical thinking undergirding our prison culture. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2026 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29 July 2026 Beyond the commercial aspect, the assumptions undergirding death positivity have begun to feel nearly as outdated as putting lipstick on a corpse.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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undergirding
  1. sustaining
  2. supporting
  3. carrying
  4. bolstering
  5. underpinning
  6. upholding
Verb
  • The Hurricanes took the lead back after Xavier Lucas, who was playing in his first game since sustaining an injury in the season opener, recovered a Riles fumble (forced by Ethan O’Connor).
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Two of the estimated 400 firefighters assigned to the Norte Fire were stabilized at a hospital after sustaining unspecified injuries battling the blaze, McGovern said.
    — Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of sustaining
Verb
  • So regenerative has to regenerate livelihoods and communities too, including decent work and supporting the women who do much of the labor in cotton in many contexts.
    — SJ Studio, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • While Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Russia is planning to escalate with drone or rocket strikes on European allies supporting Ukraine, other countries have called for calm.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of supporting
Verb
  • Nobody is accountable for carrying that signal across the business, another way of saying nobody owns it.
    — Jay Lee, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The cost of carrying a credit card balance and getting a car loan have also increased.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of carrying
Verb
  • Black, a district alumnus, is running on a platform of bolstering the district’s college and career readiness programs and boosting teacher retention.
    — Sophia Veneziano, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Rather than bolstering support for traditional hunting practices, the constitutional amendment could make sportsmen and women pariahs in the public’s eye and invite further ballot initiatives.
    — Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of bolstering
Verb
  • These requirements differ fundamentally from those underpinning most existing data strategies, and the gap is widening faster than leaders realize.
    — Richard Clough, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Hammer presents these economic theories as stone-cold truths without acknowledging the rather obvious ideological agenda underpinning his thinking.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of underpinning
Verb
  • In April, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion upholding an arbitrator’s findings that the union may follow the card-signing process as a path to represent the workers.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Rubio visited Portugal a day after delivering a speech in the Greek capital, Athens, urging European countries to save Western civilization by upholding the values and traditions of ancient Greece.
    — Matthew Lee, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of upholding

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Undergirding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undergirding. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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