support

support [sə pôrt′]

vt.

[ME supporten < MFr supporter < LL(Ec) supportare, to endure, bear < L, to carry, bring to a place < sub-,SUB- + portare, to carry: see PORT³]

1.

a) to carry or bear the weight of; keep from falling, slipping or sinking; hold up

b) to carry or bear (a specified weight, strain, pressure, etc.)

2. to give courage, faith, or confidence to; help or comfort

3. to give approval to or be in favor of; subscribe to; uphold

4. to maintain or provide for (a person, institution, etc.) with money, or subsistence

5. to show or tend to show to be true; help prove, vindicate, or corroborate [evidence to support a claim]

6. to bear; endure; submit to; tolerate

7. to keep up; maintain; sustain; specif., to maintain (the price of a specified commodity) as by government purchase of surpluses

8. Comput. to be compatible with: see COMPATIBLE (sense 5)

9. Theater to act a subordinate role in the same play with (a specified star)

n.

1. a supporting or being supported

2. a person or thing that supports; specif.,

a) a prop, base, brace, etc.

b) a means of subsistence

c) an elastic, girdlelike device to support or bind a part of the body

d) maintenance and service, as for a computer system's software or hardware [technical support]

adj.

providing or having to do with support [support staff for a company's computer system]

supportable

adj.

supportably

adv.

SYN.- SUPPORT, the broadest of these terms, suggests a favoring of someone or something, either by giving active aid or merely by approving or sanctioning [to support a candidate for office ]; UPHOLD suggests that what is being supported is under attack [to uphold civil rights for all ]; SUSTAIN implies full active support so as to strengthen or keep from failing [sustained by his hope for the future ]; MAINTAIN suggests a supporting so as to keep intact or unimpaired [to maintain the law, a family, etc. ]; ADVOCATE implies support in speech or writing and sometimes connotes persuasion or argument [to advocate a change in policy ]; BACK¹ (often BACK UP) suggests support, as financial aid, moral encouragement, etc., given to prevent failure [I'll back you up in your demands ]