# support

Pronunciation: US say "suh-PORT" /səˈpɔɹt/; UK say "suh-PAWT" /səˈpɔːt/

## Verb

1. To back or favor a cause, party, or person, either mentally or with concrete aid.
   - Simple: To be on the side of a cause or group and help it.
   - _Many voters support the candidate's stance on clean energy._
   - _Local businesses supported the campaign with both money and volunteers._
3. To hold up and help keep something from falling.
   - Simple: To hold something up so it does not fall.
   - _Thick concrete pillars support the entire weight of the overpass._
   - _She put an arm around him to support him as he limped to the car._
4. To help a person, group, or activity by providing money, resources, or practical assistance.
   - Simple: To help someone or something by giving money, time, resources, or practical help.
   - _Several grants support the research lab's daily operations._
   - _The city supported the new theater with public funds._
5. To provide the food, money, or care that keeps someone alive and well.
   - Simple: To give someone the food, money, and care they need to live.
   - _A single income barely supports a family of five these days._
   - _Farmers must support their households through unpredictable harvests._
7. To provide evidence for something or make it more believable.
   - Simple: To show that something is true or likely.
   - _The fossil record supports the theory of gradual change._
   - _Several studies support the claim that exercise improves mood._
8. Of a device, program, or programming language, to be built to work with a particular part, file type, program, or the like.
   - Simple: To work well with a part, program, or file type.
   - _The new browser supports the latest video formats._
   - _Most modern printers support wireless connections out of the box._
14. To provide ongoing help for a product or service and the people using it, answering questions and fixing problems.
   - Simple: To keep helping people with a product or service by answering their questions and fixing problems.
   - _The vendor supports the software with regular updates and help lines._
   - _The maker will no longer support the old phone model after this year._
15. To perform a lesser role in a production alongside a star performer.
   - Simple: To act a smaller role in a show alongside the main star.
   - _Two seasoned character actors support the headliner throughout the run._
   - _He supported a Hollywood legend in the show's emotional final act._

## Noun

2. Financial or other help given to a person or group.
   - Simple: Money or other help given to a person or group.
   - _The new mother relied on financial support from her parents._
   - _Volunteers offered support to the flood victims throughout the winter._
6. Something that holds another thing up or keeps it steady, such as a pillar, beam, or brace; in engineering, the fixed, hinged, or movable point by which a structure is held in position.
   - Simple: Something that holds another thing up or keeps it steady, like a post, beam, or pillar.
   - _Engineers checked the support holding up the old balcony._
   - _Years of weight finally cracked the bridge's main support._
9. Help that answers questions and solves problems for something you bought.
   - Simple: Help that answers your questions after you buy something.
   - _Customers praised the company's fast technical support._
   - _The subscription includes round-the-clock support for all users._
10. The built-in ability of software or hardware to work with a particular product, format, or feature.
   - Simple: The ability of a device or program to work with a certain product or feature.
   - _The operating system added support for the latest graphics cards._
   - _Developers dropped support for the outdated file format._
11. Evidence that gives weight to a claim or idea.
   - Simple: Facts that show an idea is true.
   - _The new study lends scientific support to the hypothesis._
   - _Critics noted the report offered scant support for its conclusions._
12. An actor who plays a subordinate part alongside a star performer.
   - Simple: An actor who plays a smaller part next to the star.
   - _The play's support was so strong that the famous lead barely stood out._
   - _As the support, she stole nearly every scene from the star._
16. Musical accompaniment that backs the main melody or lead performer.
   - Simple: Music that plays along with and backs up the main tune.
   - _The ballad relied on subtle string support throughout its verses._
   - _Her voice carried the song with only faint percussion support._
13. Backing for a person, cause, idea or proposal, shown by agreeing with it or approving of it.
   - Simple: The act of agreeing with and being on the side of a person, idea or plan.
   - _The senator has won the support of several unions ahead of the primary._
   - _Thousands marched downtown in support of the climate bill._

## Verb

17. To endure or bear something difficult without being overcome by it. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To put up with something hard without giving in.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In mathematics, the set of points where a function or similar object is nonzero (or the closure of that set); for a module over a ring, the primes at which its localization is nonzero.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3–5, 7–8, 14–15, 17** — Latin supportō passed into Old French as supporter and then into Middle English as supporten.
**Meanings 2, 6, 9–13, 16** — This noun replaced Old English wraþu. Middle English took support from Anglo-Norman and Middle French, where it had the same form.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/support (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).