underpin

[ uhn-der-pin ]

/ ˌʌn dərˈpɪn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR underpin ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), un·der·pinned, un·der·pin·ning.

to prop up or support from below; strengthen, as by reinforcing a foundation.

to replace or strengthen the foundation of (a building or the like).

to furnish a foundation for; corroborate: The author's conclusions are underpinned by references to experimental findings.

Nearby words

Origin of underpin

First recorded in 1515–25; under- + pin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for underpin

It is also their pattern to ignore the political problems that underpin the bad military performances of our “good guys.”
Here's How to Dig Out of This 'Stupid Sh*t' U.S. Foreign Policy|Leslie H. Gelb|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was a matter of underpinning for a start, but it costs money to underpin the west end of a cathedral.
The Burglars' Club|Henry A. Hering
We underpin our houses with granite; what 30 of our habits and our lives?
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
There were laws upon laws, endeavours to underpin the framework of a decaying society.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 8|Various

They found the hole in which Mrs. Higgs had stepped, and the pole which had been used to underpin the middle boards.
The Wharf by the Docks|Florence Warden
I resumed: Further we must underpin the runners and work up the earth herring-wise.
The Mercy of Allah|Hilaire Belloc

British Dictionary definitions for underpin

underpin

/ (ˌʌndəˈpɪn) /

verb -pins, -pinning or -pinned (tr)

to support from beneath, esp by a prop, while avoiding damaging or weakening the superstructureto underpin a wall

to give corroboration, strength, or support to

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012