undergird

verb

un·der·gird ˌən-dər-ˈgərd

undergirded; undergirding; undergirds

Synonyms of undergird

transitive verb

archaic : to make secure underneath

took measures to undergird the ship—Acts 27:17 (Revised Standard Version)

: 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.

Examples of undergird in a Sentence

the theory of evolution undergirds virtually all of modern biology

Recent Examples on the Web

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With European backing, Ukraine could find ways to minimize the impact of Russia’s relatively few ballistic missile strikes and, in turn, target the supply chains that undergird the production of Russian ballistic missiles. —Jack Watling, Foreign Affairs, 24 Mar. 2025 Clearly, the checks and balances that have undergirded our democracy and the rule of law for almost 250 years will not restrain the authoritarian Trump administration. —Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 18 Mar. 2025 The cryptographic foundations that undergird modern society have an expiration date that is increasingly clear. —Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025 That's the ultimate question that undergirds the debate over the future of the post office. —Felix Salmon, Axios, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for undergird