1
as in basis
an immaterial thing upon which something else rests
the underpinnings of the theory have recently been called into question
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2
as in support
a structure that holds up or serves as a foundation for something else
the underpinnings of the bridge were seriously damaged in the collision
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as in sustaining
to hold up or serve as a foundation for
the central beliefs that underpin a free society
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Examples of underpinning in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2024
So while there are differences, the central question of how to organize large networks of neurons to process, store, and recall information will almost inevitably have common underpinnings across species.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 2 Oct. 2024
The customary means of achieving modern generative AI involves using a large language model or LLM as the key underpinning.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Under the guise of a conventional bio-pic, with all of the dilution and sweetening that the commercial format entails, Fogel offers a wide-ranging and deep-rooted critique of American officialdom, of the political underpinnings of American society.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for underpinning 
Noun
Long-private details of carriage negotiations – a lucrative but highly secretive underpinning of the modern media business – are expected to come to light in discovery, both sides have acknowledged.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2024
So while there are differences, the central question of how to organize large networks of neurons to process, store, and recall information will almost inevitably have common underpinnings across species.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 2 Oct. 2024
The customary means of achieving modern generative AI involves using a large language model or LLM as the key underpinning.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Under the guise of a conventional bio-pic, with all of the dilution and sweetening that the commercial format entails, Fogel offers a wide-ranging and deep-rooted critique of American officialdom, of the political underpinnings of American society.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for underpinning
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'underpinning.' 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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“Underpinning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underpinning. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
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