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Synonyms

shore up

Idioms  

  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.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

County voters will be asked this June if they want to pay a little more at the register to shore up the region’s public health system.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Schulman has made boosting subscriber growth and cutting costs his top priorities in a bid to shore up the company’s market share.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

Spirit has struggled to remain afloat and shore up its balance sheet.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

In an effort to shore up supply, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this month made official visits to Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, which are major regional oil suppliers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Sensing that the GAC was poised to reject the Super, they worked to shore up support for the weapon well before the committee issued its report.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.