underpin
verb
un·der·pin
ˌən-dər-ˈpin 
underpinned; underpinning; underpins
1
: support, substantiate
underpin a thesis with evidence
2
: to form part of, strengthen, or replace the foundation of
underpin a structure
underpin a sagging building
Examples of underpin in a Sentence
a wall underpinned by metal beams
the central beliefs that underpin a free society
Recent Examples on the Web
But there was a booming labor market underpinning that inflation.
—
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
Star Trek is different; the resolutely sci-fi voyages of James T Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, and their successors on the final frontier are much more likely to be underpinned by science or, at least, the franchise's version of it.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Other works create entirely new worlds with different assumptions and frameworks underpinning their social and other dynamics.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025
Hinson’s group empowers women leaders to do this via the Power Archetype Index, a diagnostic framework that surfaces unconscious leadership patterns and provides women with a personal roadmap of the four factors that underpin impact.
—Serenity Gibbons, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underpin
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Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
Star Trek is different; the resolutely sci-fi voyages of James T Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, and their successors on the final frontier are much more likely to be underpinned by science or, at least, the franchise's version of it.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Other works create entirely new worlds with different assumptions and frameworks underpinning their social and other dynamics.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025
Hinson’s group empowers women leaders to do this via the Power Archetype Index, a diagnostic framework that surfaces unconscious leadership patterns and provides women with a personal roadmap of the four factors that underpin impact.
—Serenity Gibbons, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underpin
Cite this Entry
“Underpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underpin. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
underpin
verb
un·der·pin
-ˈpin
1
: to give support to
underpin an argument with evidence
2
: to form part of, strengthen, or replace the foundation of
underpin a structure
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