shore up

1. Support, prop, as in The new law was designed to shore up banks in danger of failure. This expression derives from the noun shore, meaning “prop,” a beam or timber propped against a structure to provide support. The verb shore dates from 1340 and was first recorded in a figurative context in 1581.

Related Words

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• bolster 
• boost 
• build up 
• buttress 
• emphasize 
• enlarge 
• fortify 
• increase 
• stress 
• support 
• underline