uphold

verb

up·​hold (ˌ)əp-ˈhōld 

upheld (ˌ)əp-ˈheld  ; upholding

transitive verb

1

a

: to give support to

b

: to support against an opponent

2

a

: to keep elevated

b

: to lift up

upholder noun

Synonyms

• defend
• justify
• maintain
• support

Choose the Right Synonym for uphold

support, uphold, advocate, back, champion mean to favor actively one that meets opposition.

support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given.

supports waterfront development

uphold implies extended support given to something attacked.

upheld the legitimacy of the military action

advocate stresses urging or pleading.

advocated prison reform

back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling.

refusing to back the call for sanctions

champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause.

championed the rights of children

Examples of uphold in a Sentence

He took an oath to uphold the Constitution.

They have a responsibility to uphold the law.

The Court of Appeals upheld his conviction.

Recent Examples on the Web

Case in point: TikTok faces an imminent ban in the United States following a federal appeals court's decision to uphold a law requiring the app's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest or cease operations by January 19. —Jack Kelly, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

On Friday, the U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld a federal law that will ban TikTok in the country over national security concerns — unless Chinese parent company ByteDance sells its interest in the app by Jan. 19, 2025. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024

Since the law is upheld, the TikTok ban could take effect as soon as one day before Trump is inaugurated next month. —Zeyi Yang Makena Kelly, WIRED, 6 Dec. 2024

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Meta shares continued their extended rally on Friday, rising 2.4% and closing at a record after a federal appeals court upheld a law requiring China’s ByteDance to sell TikTok or face an effective U.S. ban. —Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing uphold

• uphold the decision

Kids Definition

uphold

verb

up·​hold (ˌ)əp-ˈhōld 

upheld -ˈheld  ; upholding

1

: to give support to

promise to uphold the law

2

a

: to keep elevated

b

: to lift up

upholder noun

Legal Definition

uphold

transitive verb

up·​hold

upheld; upholding

: to judge valid : let stand

uphold an award

specifically : to hold constitutional

uphold the practice of having religious invocations and benedictions at high school graduation ceremonies

—Sands v. Morongo Unified Sch. Dist., 809 P.2d 809 (1991)(dissent)

uphold a statute