undergird
verb
Acts 27:17 (Revised Standard Version)Susan Q. Stranahan
Did you know?
When undergird was a new word in the 16th century, it was ships that were undergirded—that is, made secure below—and the undergirding was done by passing a rope or chain underneath. That literal sense has long since fallen out of use, but in the 19th century undergird picked up the figurative “strengthen” or “support” meaning that we still use. Centuries before anything was undergirded, however, people and things could be girded—that is, encircled or bound with a flexible band, such as a belt. Girding today is more often about preparing oneself to fight or to do something difficult, as in “girding themselves for an ideological battle.” About as old as gird is the word’s close relation, girdle, which originally referred to an article of clothing that circles the body usually at the waist; the girdles of today address the same anatomical territory but with the squeezy aim of making the waist look thinner. Gird also gives us girder, a noun referring to a horizontal piece supporting a structure.
Synonyms
Examples of undergird in a Sentence
Connor Goodwin, ProPublica, 19 Apr. 2024
The two kindred souls’ authoritarian solidarity is undergirded by an abiding anti-Westernism, especially anti-Americanism.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2024
Perhaps his most important ally is Matt Duff, who uncovered much of the evidence now undergirding Cantu’s innocence claim and documented his independent review in a podcast.
—Ed Lavandera, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024
Normalizing Israeli-Saudi relations is an appealing way to undergird peace and stability in the region and to counter Iran’s malign influence in the long term, but accomplishing it requires complicated political scaffolding that has yet to be fully designed, much less erected.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
The unsexy work of building the plumbing that undergirds this world will take significant resources, time and creativity.
—Lindsey Witmer Collins, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The spat – which underscores the deep tensions undergirding the relationship between Asia’s two largest countries – comes as India is weeks away from national elections expected to deliver a resounding endorsement of Modi’s Hindu nationalist platform.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024
The irony undergirding the new wave of obesity drugs is that they initially weren’t created for obesity at all.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
Strong tailwinds like the now-central place games occupy in youth culture, and the fast-evolving art form of game creation will undergird the business in the years ahead, Ball said.
—David Bloom, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'undergird.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Undergird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undergird. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
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undergird
verb
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