uphold
verb
up·hold
(ˌ)əp-ˈhōld 
upheld
(ˌ)əp-ˈheld
; upholding
; upholding
1
a
: to give support to
b
: to support against an opponent
2
a
: to keep elevated
b
: to lift up
upholder
noun
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
And with the contract officially signed, Julia's boyfriend now has a legal—or at least, social—obligation to uphold his end of the deal.
—
Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
The Maryland Supreme Court then upheld his conviction last year.
—Charmaine Patterson, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
In 2020, for instance, the court by a 5-4 vote upheld Trump's first-term firing of the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
—arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2025
The Supreme Court reluctantly upheld this exemption in cases in 1953 (Toolson) and 1972 (Flood), despite having previously refused to extend it to other sports and acknowledging the errors of Federal Baseball.
—Chris Deubert, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uphold
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Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
The Maryland Supreme Court then upheld his conviction last year.
—Charmaine Patterson, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
In 2020, for instance, the court by a 5-4 vote upheld Trump's first-term firing of the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
—arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2025
The Supreme Court reluctantly upheld this exemption in cases in 1953 (Toolson) and 1972 (Flood), despite having previously refused to extend it to other sports and acknowledging the errors of Federal Baseball.
—Chris Deubert, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uphold
Articles Related to uphold
Cite this Entry
“Uphold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uphold. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
uphold
verb
up·hold
(ˌ)əp-ˈhōld
upheld
-ˈheld
; upholding
; 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)
Sands v. Morongo Unified Sch. Dist., 809 P.2d 809 (1991)(dissent) uphold a statute
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