Uphold

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˌʌpˈhəʊld/

Definitions

1. To support, maintain, or defend something such as a principle, law, or decision against opposition or challenge
2. To support or maintain a principle, law, or decision while countering challenges or opposition in order to preserve its validity
3. To sustain or maintain something like a law, decision, or principle in the face of opposition or challenges to preserve its integrity

Etymology: "Uphold" is a compound of "up" and "hold," and its earliest form, the Middle English "upholden," simply put the two together with the sense of holding something aloft or in position. The "up-" in such verbs often gives "hold" a sense of raising or keeping from falling, so the idea of lifting a weight gradually grew into the idea of keeping a structure, a claim, or a principle from collapsing under pressure. The word has close relatives across the North Sea and beyond. Dutch "ophouden" meant "to stop, cease, hold up," and German "aufhalten" meant "to stop, halt, detain," so in those languages the "up-" plus "hold" pairing leaned toward stopping or delaying rather than supporting. Middle Low German "upholt" and Old Norse "upphald" both carried the support sense more directly, which suggests the English meaning took the supportive path that the Germanic family shared in part.

Synonyms: maintain, support, defend, sustain, confirm

Antonyms: abrogate, reject, disregard, invalidate, contradict