UPHOLD Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'uphold' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of uphold are advocate , back , champion , and support . While all these words mean "to favor actively one that meets opposition," uphold implies extended support given to something attacked. // upheld the legitimacy of the military action

Q: When is 'advocate' a more appropriate choice than 'uphold'?

While the synonyms advocate and uphold are close in meaning, advocate stresses urging or pleading. // advocated prison reform

Q: When is it sensible to use 'back' instead of 'uphold'?

The meanings of back and uphold largely overlap; however, back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling. // refusing to back the call for sanctions

Q: When might 'champion' be a better fit than 'uphold'?

The synonyms champion and uphold are sometimes interchangeable, but champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause. // championed the rights of children

Q: In what contexts can 'support' take the place of 'uphold'?

While in some cases nearly identical to uphold , support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given. // supports waterfront development

uphold

verb

(ˌ)əp-ˈhōld

Definition of uphold

as in to defend

to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections determined to uphold her views in the face of all challenges

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to sustain

to hold up or serve as a foundation for an entablature upheld by a series of gracefully slender columns

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to lift

to move from a lower to a higher place or position worshippers upheld their joined hands and sang the praises of the Lord

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word uphold different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of uphold are advocate, back, champion, and support. While all these words mean "to favor actively one that meets opposition," uphold implies extended support given to something attacked.

upheld the legitimacy of the military action

When is advocate a more appropriate choice than uphold?

While the synonyms advocate and uphold are close in meaning, advocate stresses urging or pleading.

advocated prison reform

When is it sensible to use back instead of uphold?

The meanings of back and uphold largely overlap; however, back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling.

refusing to back the call for sanctions

When might champion be a better fit than uphold?

The synonyms champion and uphold are sometimes interchangeable, but champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause.

championed the rights of children

In what contexts can support take the place of uphold?

While in some cases nearly identical to uphold, support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given.

supports waterfront development

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of uphold But the agency is responsible for licensing local radio and TV stations across the US and upholding basic standards, and Carr has repeatedly used that limited power to pressure broadcasters. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026 What Essayli is doing in the name of rooting out voter fraud isn’t about upholding the law. — Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 The conservative-majority Supreme Court has previously upheld state laws banning certain medical treatments for transgender youth, and restricting sports participation by transgender athletes in women’s sports. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 The ban was upheld despite an extensive legal battle, making public membership, support, or financial aid raised for the group a punishable crime with prison time up to 14 years. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for uphold

Recent Examples of Synonyms for uphold

Verb

Trump proceeded to defend the White House renovation for an additional five-odd minutes before delivering Obama a message directly.

— Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
Egypt's president sought to reassure the public that the country wouldn't attack Yemen, and that the military support is limited to defending Saudi territory.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of defend

Verb

But when mandates or control measures are used as the main tool in a crisis response, a short-term impact can be difficult to sustain.

— Raj Panjabi, STAT, 21 Oct. 2026
In addition to a person in his car dying from injuries sustained in the crash, another passenger was severely hurt, the release said.

— Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of sustain

Verb

According to the team, the coordination is important because pushing or lifting an object changes the forces acting on a humanoid’s body.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
What everyday movements reveal Standing from a chair requires a stable base, enough ankle and hip mobility to shift your weight forward, lower body and core strength to lift yourself, and balance to keep you steady.

— Dana Santas, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of lift

Verb

Sentenced to life in prison, Buchanan maintained a grip over gangs in the South Bay area of San Diego, according to an FBI report of an informant’s interview.

— Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
In April, a federal jury in Manhattan found that Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary illegally maintained monopoly power.

— James LaForge, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of maintain

Verb

During captive-carry testing, engineers can assess equipment carried by an aircraft before proceeding to more demanding flight demonstrations.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
For airlines, the larger plane offers a way to carry more passengers on a single flight, potentially lowering costs per seat.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of carry

Verb

In 2022, the central bank raised rates by three-quarters of a point six days before the midterm elections, part of its fight against the worst inflation in four decades.

— Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
And the evidence uncovered by Chair Loudermilk raises serious questions about Speaker Pelosi's role in those decisions.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of raise

Verb

Between those grounds and the pool, there's enough here to justify leaving part of the day unscheduled.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
In this case, the AI agent carried over an earlier instruction not to send any Slack messages to OpenAI’s team, using that to justify turning off the alerts.

— Emma Roth, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of justify

Verb

More than 120 countries supported the resolution — only three voted against it — Argentina, Israel and the United States.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
The organizers included activist Amy Sousa and commentator Brandi Kruse, who previously helped organize rallies supporting WNBA player Sophie Cunningham.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of support

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uphills

uphold

upholding

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Style

“Uphold.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uphold. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of uphold

verb

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