undergird
Americanverb (used with object)
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to strengthen; secure, as by passing a rope or chain under and around.
to undergird a top-heavy load.
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to give fundamental support; provide with a sound or secure basis.
ethics undergirded by faith.
verb
Etymology
Origin of undergird
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.
See Examples For:
Insider-trading rules backed by criminal penalties undergird confident stock trading.
From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026
We try and understand the meaning systems that undergird whatever group we’re studying.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025
Both sides point to the absence of previous prosecutions to undergird their arguments.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
The analysis characterized the three-way economic bond as having the potential to undergird U.S. efforts to secure North American supply chains “nearshoring” policies of moving manufacturing geographically closer to the U.S. homeland.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 8, 2023
Multiplied to infinity, choices no longer undergird values, but options that are equally mediocre.
From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai
Ms. Threlkeld says Field Marshal Munir’s strong relationship with Mr. Trump has undergirded Pakistan’s role in Iran negotiations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
Yet complacency, undergirded by the remarkable strength of the stock market, is precisely what U.S. leaders are showing.
From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026
Kids stay up late, ice cream becomes a food group and people are out and about, undergirded by an unspoken permission to meander through the days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2024
Day center activities are undergirded with building relationships because, as Towey explains, “relationship is what drives outcomes and impact.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 26, 2024
I devoured the books because they were the rays of light peeking out from the doorframe, and perhaps past that door there was another world, one beyond the gripping fear that undergirded the Dream.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Yet the factors undergirding the market’s comeback are both relatively straightforward and well-grounded in fundamentals, according to Société Générale strategist Manish Kabra.
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
Pecker also testified Thursday that, at least during the 2016 presidential campaign, he understood Trump's concerns undergirding the hush-money scheme to revolve around "the impact it would have upon the election."
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2024
The work to produce and analyze the synthetic droplets is the result of a combination of deeply integrated interdisciplinarity and the human factors undergirding scientific work.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
But pop the hood on this bad boy and there’s an undeniable cynicism undergirding this vehicle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2023
The fireplace, the beams undergirding the loft, the tools dangling off nails on the walls.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
