1
as in basis
an immaterial thing upon which something else rests
the underpinnings of the theory have recently been called into question
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in support
a structure that holds up or serves as a foundation for something else
the underpinnings of the bridge were seriously damaged in the collision
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in sustaining
to hold up or serve as a foundation for
the central beliefs that underpin a free society
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of underpinning
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2025
The Court highlighted the racist underpinnings of non-unanimous verdicts, a Jim Crow practice from the 1870s.
—Don Siegelman, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
Labor market stamina, marked by low layoffs and strong wage growth are underpinning consumer spending.
—Lucia Mutikani, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for underpinning
Noun
Imbued in the theological underpinnings of the Abrahamic traditions is the archetype of a false messiah who appears near the end times, called Dajjal in Islam, Antichrist in Christianity, who for some will seem a saviour, but for others will herald destruction.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2025
The Court highlighted the racist underpinnings of non-unanimous verdicts, a Jim Crow practice from the 1870s.
—Don Siegelman, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
Its inspection tool is a narrator (Michael Chernus) who provides in-the-moment thoughts underpinning the words of Maggie (Quincy Tyler Bernstine), a middle-aged Midwesterner trying to make sense of her husband’s sudden death.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
Labor market stamina, marked by low layoffs and strong wage growth are underpinning consumer spending.
—Lucia Mutikani, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for underpinning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underpinning
Noun
-
However, amid the confusion of new strains, changing vaccine guidelines and cuts to vaccine development funding, the CDC continues to track cases, hospitalizations and deaths on a weekly basis.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
-
So is this a call to get your hsCRP levels checked on a regular basis?—
Sarah Garone,
Health,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Podiatrists crafted them specifically to solve the lack of arch support in most shoes.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
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Thank you to everyone whos been showering so much love and support for the music and movie.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Gayot has been a key player in restoring a level of quality to the collection and developing a fresh look to the brand, a balance that’s cool and modern while sustaining the heritage and classic American appeal.—
WWD Staff,
Footwear News,
8 Sep. 2025
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If the Kingdom locks those reforms in while sustaining a realistic pace on its mega-projects and widening space for constructive debate, the payoff will extend far beyond its borders to a more stable and economically productive Arab region better able to compete in the world.—
Ali Shihabi,
Time,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And with the foundation laid, Flowers is eager for the Golden Bulls to make that next leap.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The West Virginia man set up a foundation that built two churches in his home state and gave food, clothing and scholarships to local students, according to a 2020 New York Times obituary.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Applied Compute, a new startup focused on AI reinforcement learning that was founded by ex-OpenAI staffers, uses Mercor to provide datasets on specific topics, like finance.—
Richard Nieva,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The team traded for Ryan McMahon to replace DJ LeMahieu and brought in Jose Caballero as some reinforcement for Anthony Volpe.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Raki McGregor, who also serves as the board chair of Mecklenburg County’s workforce development board Charlotte Works, recently made waves by publicly supporting candidates for CMS school board before his tenure as a CMS consultant was up.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Among the supporting evidence filed by the government are three academic reports by scholars with deep knowledge of Islamic charities in Egypt.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Johnny Unitas was bedrock establishment.—
Seth Wickersham,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Independence of monetary policy has long been considered sacrosanct—the bedrock of global confidence in the dollar.—
Dan Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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SpaceX lands Falcon 9 boosters on offshore drone ships after most of its launches and only brings the rocket back to an onshore landing on missions carrying lighter payloads to orbit.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
4 Sep. 2025
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The deal with YouTube caps off a tumultuous year for Sesame Workshop, which lost its output deal with HBO last December, though the streaming platform inked a deal to continue carrying some library programming.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Underpinning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underpinning. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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