SUPPORTING • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Supporting

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/səpˈɔrtɪŋ/ Listen

verb

Support v. t. (past & past part. supported; pres. part. supporting)

1.

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.

To endure without being overcome, exhausted, or changed in character; to sustain; as, to support pain, distress, or misfortunes. "This fierce demeanor and his insolence The patience of a god could not support."

3.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. "To urge such arguments, as though they were sufficient to support and demonstrate a whole scheme of moral philosophy."

8.

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

9.

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. "Wherefore, bold pleasant, Darest thou support a published traitor?"

10.

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

Support arms (Mil.), a command in the manual of arms in responce to which the piece is held vertically at the shoulder, with the hammer resting on the left forearm, which is passed horizontally across the body in front; also, the position assumed in response to this command.

Synonyms: To maintain; endure; verify; substantiate; countenance; patronize; help; back; second; succor; relieve; uphold; encourage; favor; nurture; nourish; cherish; shield; defend; protect; stay; assist; forward.

See images of 'Supporting'

Etymology of 'Supporting'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Supporting" Quotes from Famous Books

... Portman home a motionless figure sat, as bleak as the shadows in which it was shrouded. Like a malevolent gargoyle it glowered out upon the deserted street; a tense, immovable chin rested in a pair of clenched hands, knees supporting the elbows. This desolate, forbidding figure had been there for an hour or more—ever since Christine's return from the concert. Not once were the burning eyes removed from the lighted windows across the way. At last, long ...

— The Rose in the Ring • George Barr McCutcheon

... white shoulders. Certain women's lines guide your eyes to their necks, their eyelashes, their lips, their breasts. But Leonora's seemed to conduct your gaze always to her wrist. And the wrist was at its best in a black or a dog-skin glove and there was always a gold circlet with a little chain supporting a very small golden key to a dispatch box. Perhaps it was that in which she locked up her heart ...

— The Good Soldier • Ford Madox Ford

... up to only half-strength or less, so that the four hundred and thirty thousand men on paper melted away to two hundred and thirty thousand at the outside; the jealousies among the generals, each of whom thought only of securing for himself a marshal's baton, and gave no care to supporting his neighbor; the frightful lack of foresight, mobilization and concentration being carried on simultaneously in order to gain time, a process that resulted in confusion worse confounded; a system, in a word, of dry rot and slow paralysis, ...

— The Downfall • Emile Zola

... held the center of the stage, that the moment was his. Slowly he raised an arm to remove that ridiculous hat. Again I jumped to my feet. For as his coat sleeve slipped down his forearm I saw nothing but bone supporting his hand. And the hand that then bared his head was a skeleton hand! Slowly the hat was lifted, but as quickly as light six able-bodied men were on their feet and half way to the door before we realized the cowardliness of it. We ...

— Astounding Stories of Super-Science April 1930 • Various

... windward in such a manner as to prevent him from slipping overboard with the rolls of the vessel, as he was still too weak to hold on at all. For ourselves there was no such necessity. We sat close together, supporting each other with the aid of the broken ropes about the windlass, and devising methods of escape from our frightful situation. We derived much comfort from taking off our clothes and wringing the water from them. When we put ...

— The Works of Edgar Allan Poe - Volume 3 (of 5) of the Raven Edition • Edgar Allan Poe

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