prop up

phrasal verb

propped up; propping up; props up

: to stop (something) from falling or slipping by placing something under or against it

We propped up the beams with long boards.

propped the plant stems up

: to give help, encouragement, or support to (someone)

His faith propped him up in times of crisis.

Examples of prop up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Where only three wooden pilings once propped up each section, crews increased it to six, driving 120 stronger fiberglass pilings 20 feet into the Monterey Bay sea floor, and wrapping other wooden pilings in protective composite sleeves. —

Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 17 May 2024 The 15th is propping up an overgrown plant in my bathroom window, and the 16th? —

Laura Gurfein, Peoplemag, 13 May 2024 Also, please be reminded that the Terrapins’ attendance figures and revenues have been further propped up by the 5,000 traveling fans who routinely come to root for their teams from many other Big Ten schools. —

Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 15 Mar. 2024 Since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Xi has propped up his Russian counterpart in a variety of crucial ways. —

Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for prop up

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prop up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.