uphold
Americanverb (used with object)
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upholds,
present (3rd person singular)
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upheld,
past participle, past
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upholding
present participle
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to support or defend, as against opposition or criticism.
He fought the duel to uphold his family's honor.
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to keep up or keep from sinking; support.
Stout columns upheld the building's heavy roof. Her faith upheld her in that time of sadness.
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to lift upward; raise.
The pilgrims upheld their eyes and thanked heaven for their safe journey.
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British.
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to upholster.
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to maintain in good condition; take care of.
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verb
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to maintain, affirm, or defend against opposition or challenge
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to give moral support or inspiration to
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rare to support physically
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to lift up
Usage
What are other ways to say uphold? To uphold something means to support it or defend it against opposition or criticism. How is uphold different from maintain, support, and sustain? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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upholdsimple
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upholdssimple
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have upheldperfect
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has upheldperfect
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am upholdingprogressive
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are upholdingprogressive
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is upholdingprogressive
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have been upholdingperfect progressive
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has been upholdingperfect progressive
Past
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upheldsimple
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had upheldperfect
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was upholdingprogressive
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were upholdingprogressive
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had been upholdingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of uphold
First recorded in 1300–1350; Middle English upholden; see up-, hold 1
Explanation
When you uphold something, you stick up for or support it. Police officers are paid to uphold the law, and crazy Elvis fans uphold their belief that he's still alive out there somewhere. If you reverse the two parts of this word, you get hold up. And that's exactly what upholding is: holding up or supporting an idea or practice. You might uphold your dog's innocence, even though it's pretty obvious he dug up the neighbor's flower bed. When America fought for independence, we upheld the idea of fair representation. When you uphold something, you're taking a stand for it.
Vocabulary lists containing uphold
Beowulf vocabulary
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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Ghost Boys
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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:
At the same time, he will need to uphold the company’s focus on privacy and premium user experience.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
"This initiative, which goes beyond regulatory requirements, reflects our determination to uphold the highest standards of safety and professionalism, and to provide reassurance to our passengers, stakeholders and the community at large," it said.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Still, he says, even teetotaling Gen Xers still uphold a certain bar etiquette.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday that Bangladeshi authorities were failing to uphold international legal standards.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
"Long live any monarch who learns to speak of mercy, pity, and peace while still in his mother's arms. People, behold your king! Beowulf will uphold and protect him as long as he lives!"
From "Beowulf: A New Telling" by Robert Nye
If the company upholds its decision, he should then file a complaint with his state’s insurance department and/or consult an attorney who specializes in property-insurance disputes.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The decision upholds a turn-back policy that began in 2016 as an emergency response to a surge of Haitian immigrants at the San Ysidro border crossing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
"Either its people unite around a sovereign state that monopolises weapons, upholds the law and protects citizens irrespective of their affiliation or position, or it remains hostage to the logic of militias," he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026
UN Women, the UN organisation that upholds women's human rights, has called it a "global crisis", where prosecutions against the issue are rare and survivors are often re-traumatised when they do attempt to seek help.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
We upholds the family’s honor, and we never speaks ill of them — though Professor Dumbledore told Dobby he does not insist upon this.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
In a post uploaded to Instagram, actor Jamie Lee Curtis upheld Dolly’s bravery, writing that “she was more than they thought she was.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Two appeals courts have gone the other way and upheld age rules, including a Texas law on mail ballots for seniors that was challenged in 2020 amid the Covid pandemic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Speaking publicly for the first time on the row, Lord Chris Smith said academic integrity could be upheld while questioning Arday's treatment.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
If upheld, the immunity would eliminate a pending tax liability estimated at $100 million.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
Seizing his chance, the rat dodged nimbly into the open, and battered madly at Matthias’s upheld shield until he was forced to drop it.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
“We’re upholding election integrity,” said Ms. Nessel, a Democrat, “by investigating all claims of non-citizen voters, as rare as they are, and holding bad actors accountable.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The emergency application comes one week after an appeals court ordered construction to stop until Congress approves, upholding a ruling won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued the administration last year.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
By upholding automatic birthright citizenship, the court prevented that outcome.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
But its most famous line—“Attention must be paid”—illuminates its greater significance as a drama upholding the importance of the individual, an idea enshrined in the Declaration of Independence itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
In 1874, the US Supreme Court handed down a unanimous opinion upholding the lower court.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
