UPHOLDS Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

upholds

verb

present tense third-person singular of uphold

as in defends

to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections determined to uphold her views in the face of all challenges

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as in sustains

to hold up or serve as a foundation for an entablature upheld by a series of gracefully slender columns

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as in lifts

to move from a lower to a higher place or position worshippers upheld their joined hands and sang the praises of the Lord

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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 upholds The statement said Caldwell upholds the rights to peaceful assembly and free speech guaranteed in the First Amendment, and said Caldwell Police Department officers and other public safety agencies would be present. —

Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 22 Jan. 2026 The Foundation upholds Alfred Nobel’s will and its stipulations. —

Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 18 Jan. 2026 Hawaii says its law, passed in 2023, upholds both the right to bear arms and a property owner’s right to keep out guns. —

Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 17 Jan. 2026 Its boxy, bold look upholds Subaru’s safety-focused, outdoorsy image, with signature symmetrical all-wheel drive. —

James Raia, Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2026 This upholds an earlier injunction from Jackson to ensure the agency would continue to exist as congressionally mandated, and to stop efforts to shutter the CFPB, including through layoffs. —

Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 30 Dec. 2025 If the Court upholds the rules, the existing anti-corruption framework remains intact. —

Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025 If no claims are filed, or if the court upholds the government’s action, the products can be condemned and destroyed. —

David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 24 Nov. 2025 From watches to real estate to automobiles and beyond, Robb Report’s writers and editors scour the world of luxury to highlight the very best, and the wine club upholds the same rigorous standards. —

Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 20 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for upholds

Verb

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights organizes, educates, and defends immigrant communities, pairing on-the-ground support with an unflinching push for a more humane national policy.

— Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Sins of Kujo, adapted from Shohei Manabe’s manga, casts Yuya Yagira as a morally ambiguous lawyer who defends society’s most reprehensible figures, a dark, adult-skewing legal drama.

— Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026