Definitions for support
səˈpɔrt, -ˈpoʊrtsup·port

Princeton's WordNet(3.20 / 15 votes)Rate this definition:

1. supportnoun

   the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities

   "his support kept the family together"; "they gave him emotional support during difficult times"

2. supportnoun

   aiding the cause or policy or interests of

   "the president no longer has the support of his own party"; "they developed a scheme of mutual support"

3. supportnoun

   something providing immaterial assistance to a person or cause or interest

   "the policy found little public support"; "his faith was all the support he needed"; "the team enjoyed the support of their fans"

4. support, reinforcement, reenforcementnoun

   a military operation (often involving new supplies of men and materiel) to strengthen a military force or aid in the performance of its mission

   "they called for artillery support"

5. documentation, supportnoun

   documentary validation

   "his documentation of the results was excellent"; "the strongest support for this view is the work of Jones"

6. support, keep, livelihood, living, bread and butter, sustenancenoun

   the financial means whereby one lives

   "each child was expected to pay for their keep"; "he applied to the state for support"; "he could no longer earn his own livelihood"

7. supportnoun

   supporting structure that holds up or provides a foundation

   "the statue stood on a marble support"

8. support, supportingnoun

   the act of bearing the weight of or strengthening

   "he leaned against the wall for support"

9. accompaniment, musical accompaniment, backup, supportnoun

   a musical part (vocal or instrumental) that supports or provides background for other musical parts

10. supportnoun

    any device that bears the weight of another thing

    "there was no place to attach supports for a shelf"

11. support, financial support, funding, backing, financial backingverb

    financial resources provided to make some project possible

    "the foundation provided support for the experiment"

12. support, back upverb

    give moral or psychological support, aid, or courage to

    "She supported him during the illness"; "Her children always backed her up"

13. supportverb

    support materially or financially

    "he does not support his natural children"; "The scholarship supported me when I was in college"

14. back, endorse, indorse, plump for, plunk for, supportverb

    be behind; approve of

    "He plumped for the Labor Party"; "I backed Kennedy in 1960"

15. hold, support, sustain, hold upverb

    be the physical support of; carry the weight of

    "The beam holds up the roof"; "He supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam"; "What's holding that mirror?"

16. confirm, corroborate, sustain, substantiate, support, affirmverb

    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts

    "his story confirmed my doubts"; "The evidence supports the defendant"

17. subscribe, supportverb

    adopt as a belief

    "I subscribe to your view on abortion"

18. corroborate, underpin, bear out, supportverb

    support with evidence or authority or make more certain or confirm

    "The stories and claims were born out by the evidence"

19. defend, support, fend forverb

    argue or speak in defense of

    "She supported the motion to strike"

20. supportverb

    play a subordinate role to (another performer)

    "Olivier supported Gielgud beautifully in the second act"

21. patronize, patronise, patronage, support, keep goingverb

    be a regular customer or client of

    "We patronize this store"; "Our sponsor kept our art studio going for as long as he could"

22. digest, endure, stick out, stomach, bear, stand, tolerate, support, brook, abide, suffer, put upverb

    put up with something or somebody unpleasant

    "I cannot bear his constant criticism"; "The new secretary had to endure a lot of unprofessional remarks"; "he learned to tolerate the heat"; "She stuck out two years in a miserable marriage"

Wiktionary(3.25 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. supportnoun

   Something which supports. Often used attributively, as a complement or supplement to.

   Etymology: From supporter.

2. supportnoun

   Financial or other help.

   The government provides support to the arts in several ways.

   Etymology: From supporter.

3. supportnoun

   Answers to questions and resolution of problems regarding something sold.

   Sure they sell the product, but do they provide support?

   Etymology: From supporter.

4. supportnoun

   in relation to a function, the set of points where the function is not zero, or the closure of that set.

   Etymology: From supporter.

5. supportnoun

   A set whose elements are at least partially included in a given fuzzy set (i.e., whose grade of membership in that fuzzy set is strictly greater than zero).

   If the membership function of a fuzzy set is continuous, then that fuzzy set's support is an open set.

   Etymology: From supporter.

6. supportverb

   To keep from falling.

   Don't move that beam! It supports the whole platform.

   Etymology: From supporter.

7. supportverb

   To answer questions and resolve problems regarding something sold.

   Sure they sell the product, but do they support it?

   Etymology: From supporter.

8. supportverb

   To back a cause, party etc. mentally or with concrete aid.

   I support France in the World Cup

   Etymology: From supporter.

9. supportverb

   To help, particularly financially.

   The government supports the arts in several ways.

   Etymology: From supporter.

10. supportverb

    To serve, as in a customer-oriented mindset

    The IT Department supports the research organization, but not the sales force.

    Etymology: From supporter.

11. supportverb

    To be accountable for, or involved with, but not responsible for.

    I support the administrative activities of the executive branch of the organization

    Etymology: From supporter.

12. supportverb

    To imply a service role.

    I don't make decisions, I just support those who do.

    Etymology: From supporter.

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Supportverb

   to bear by being under; to keep from falling; to uphold; to sustain, in a literal or physical sense; to prop up; to bear the weight of; as, a pillar supports a structure; an abutment supports an arch; the trunk of a tree supports the branches

2. Supportverb

   to endure without being overcome, exhausted, or changed in character; to sustain; as, to support pain, distress, or misfortunes

3. Supportverb

   to keep from failing or sinking; to solace under affictive circumstances; to assist; to encourage; to defend; as, to support the courage or spirits

4. Supportverb

   to assume and carry successfully, as the part of an actor; to represent or act; to sustain; as, to support the character of King Lear

5. Supportverb

   to furnish with the means of sustenance or livelihood; to maintain; to provide for; as, to support a family; to support the ministers of the gospel

6. Supportverb

   to carry on; to enable to continue; to maintain; as, to support a war or a contest; to support an argument or a debate

7. Supportverb

   to verify; to make good; to substantiate; to establish; to sustain; as, the testimony is not sufficient to support the charges; the evidence will not support the statements or allegations

8. Supportverb

   to vindicate; to maintain; to defend successfully; as, to be able to support one's own cause

9. Supportverb

   to uphold by aid or countenance; to aid; to help; to back up; as, to support a friend or a party; to support the present administration

10. Supportverb

    a attend as an honorary assistant; as, a chairman supported by a vice chairman; O'Connell left the prison, supported by his two sons

11. Supportnoun

    the act, state, or operation of supporting, upholding, or sustaining

12. Supportnoun

    that which upholds, sustains, or keeps from falling, as a prop, a pillar, or a foundation of any kind

13. Supportnoun

    that which maintains or preserves from being overcome, falling, yielding, sinking, giving way, or the like; subsistence; maintenance; assistance; reenforcement; as, he gave his family a good support, the support of national credit; the assaulting column had the support of a battery

Freebase(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Support

   In mathematics, the support of a function is the set of points where the function is not zero-valued, and the closure of that set. This concept is used very widely in mathematical analysis. In the form of functions with support that is bounded, it also plays a major part in various types of mathematical duality theories.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Support

   sup-pōrt′, v.t. to bear up: to endure or sustain: to keep up as a part or character: to make good: to defend: to represent in acting: to supply with means of living: to uphold by countenance, patronise: to follow on the same side as a speaker.—n. act of supporting or upholding: that which supports, sustains, or maintains: maintenance: an actor playing a subordinate part with a star: an accompaniment in music.—adj. Support′able, capable of being supported: endurable: capable of being maintained.—n. Support′ableness.—adv. Support′ably.—ns. Support′ance (Shak.), support; Support′er, one who, or that which, supports: an adherent: a defender: (her.) a figure on each side of the escutcheon.—adjs. Support′ing, Support′ive.—n.fem. Support′ress. [L. supportāre—sub, up, portāre, to bear.]

The New Hacker's Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. support

   After-sale handholding; something many software vendors promise but few deliver. To hackers, most support people are useless — because by the time a hacker calls support he or she will usually know the software and the relevant manuals better than the support people (sadly, this is not a joke or exaggeration). A hacker's idea of ‘support’ is a têete-à-têete with the software's designer.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. support

   1. The action of a force that aids, protects, complements, or sustains another force in accordance with a directive requiring such action. 2. A unit that helps another unit in battle. 3. An element of a command that assists, protects, or supplies other forces in combat. See also close support; direct support; general support; interdepartmental or agency support; international logistic support; inter-Service support; mutual support.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. support

   To aid, to assist; it likewise signifies to preserve untarnished; as, to support the ancient character of a corps. Well supported, is well aided or assisted. It likewise signifies well kept up; as, a well supported fire from the batteries; a well supported fire of musketry.

Editors Contribution(2.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. support

   A type of structure created to secure.

   They have a support over the top of the lorry to keep the contents secure.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 10, 2020  

2. support

   To intuitively provide what is just and fair.

   The workplace support was excellent and everyone agrees we are united.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 12, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Act
   • Activity
   • Agree
   • Aid
   • Device
   • Give
   • Influence
   • Military
   • Operation
   • Permit
   • Supporting Structure
   • Theater
   • Validation

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'support' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #449

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'support' in Written Corpus Frequency: #788

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'support' in Nouns Frequency: #173

4. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'support' in Verbs Frequency: #125

How to pronounce support?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say support in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of support in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of support in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of support in a Sentence

1. David Bergstein:

   Structurally they are betting the farm and everything possible to get through these midterms, and they are just opening up the checkbook to do it. ' Public investment shrinks as safety net balloonsWhatever the immediate political impact, if President Joe Biden ultimately signs anything like the proposed program, it would mark a new era in Washington's role in the economy.Over the past 50 years, federal spending, as a share of the nation's economic output, has averaged about 20.6 %, according to calculations by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a centrist group that argues for budgetary restraint. Washington has significantly exceeded that level only in times of crisis : Spending reached 24 % of the nation's gross domestic product during Obama's first term immediately after the 2008 financial crisis and roughly 32 % during the Covid pandemic, federal figures show. ( Federal spending as a share of the economy reached its modern high of more than 40 % at the height of World War II.) Though federal spending over the past half century has remained relatively constant at about one-fifth of the economy, the composition of that spending has shifted dramatically. Over that period, public investment -- defined primarily as federal spending on infrastructure, education and training, and support for research and development -- has declined, while the safety net -- including such payments to individuals as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food assistance and various tax credits for families -- has soared. Its totally different from anything put forward by Obama or Clinton. In terms of any kind of coherent strategic focus theres been nothing like this since the build-out of the suburbs, and the buildup of the educational system.Josh Bivens, research director, Economic Policy InstituteIn 1969, federal figures show, public investment and payments to individuals each consumed nearly one-third of total federal spending, an amount equal to about 6 % of the economy. By 2019, the last year before Washington poured huge sums into the Covid crisis, public investment had fallen to just 12.5 % of Responsible Federal Budget while payments to individuals had grown past 70 %. Public investment now equals only about 2.5 % of the economy, while payments to individuals consume more than five times as much.The exact distribution between public investment and safety net spending in the Democratic plans isn't known, because the party hasn't released details on the funding levels in the $ 3.5 trillion budget blueprint that Senate Democrats recently agreed on. But it's clear that the proposal -- coupled with the bipartisan infrastructure agreement advancing on a separate track -- would represent a huge expansion on both fronts.The infusion of new money for public investment might be most striking, given how steadily it has lost ground in federal priorities. Public investment fell from about 30 % of federal spending in the late 1960s to about 20 % by the late 1970s and 15 % by the mid-1990s, a plateau from which it's since drifted further down except for a brief recovery under Obama's first-term stimulus plan. The budget plans Senate Democrats are advancing would provide a more lasting turnaround. The bipartisan plan would spend almost $ 600 billion on.

2. Jeff Zients:

   Today we are announcing that we are sending $ 100 million to rural health clinics to support vaccine education and outreach efforts in these communities where we are generally seeing low vaccine uptake.

3. Eleanor Holmes Norton:

   I have asked the Department of Defense to withdraw the rule because I’ve seen no evidence of a credible threat that would support the proposed restriction, they have been trying to get their way, but their proposal is more restrictive than necessary.

4. President Tayyip Erdogan:

   This either happens or otherwise we will have to open the gates, either you will provide support, or excuse us, but we are not going to carry this weight alone. We have not been able to get help from the international community, namely the European Union.

5. Cory Remsburg:

   That single moment has allowed me to help other wounded veterans to get more attention to our situation, we need more understanding and support from our local communities.

Images & Illustrations of support

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