undergird

verb

un·​der·​gird ˌən-dər-ˈgərd 

undergirded; undergirding; undergirds

transitive verb

1

archaic : to make secure underneath

took measures to undergird the ship

—Acts 27:17 (Revised Standard Version)

2

: to form the basis or foundation of : strengthen, support

facts and statistics subtly undergird his commentary

—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

• bear
• bolster
• brace
• buttress
• carry
• prop (up)
• shore (up)
• stay
• support
• sustain
• underpin
• uphold

Examples of undergird in a Sentence

the theory of evolution undergirds virtually all of modern biology

Recent Examples on the Web

For a hybrid team, this is exactly the right place to start building the social contract that undergirds everything the team does. —Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Almost 200 years ago, Alexis de Tocqueville spoke of the importance of social capital—the implicit community and neighborly trust that undergirds the fabric of American society and how respect for the rule of law rather than the law of rulers underlies our market economy and social harmony. —Steven Tian, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024

Atelier Wen was given its hybrid brand name to underline the connection between France and China that undergirds its watch production. —Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2024

Assumptions undergirding the behavior and risk calculus of many state and nonstate actors in the region are increasingly obsolete. —Mona Yacoubian, Foreign Affairs, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

undergird

verb

un·​der·​gird ˌən-dər-ˈgərd 

: to make secure : brace up : strengthen

a life undergirded by religion