support
n 1: the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying
with money or necessities; "his support kept the family
together"; "they gave him emotional support during
difficult times"
2: aiding the cause or policy or interests of; "the president
no longer had the support of his own party"; "they
developed a scheme of mutual support"
3: something providing immaterial support or assistance to a
person or cause or interest; "the policy found little
public support"; "his faith was all the support he
needed"; "the team enjoyed the support of their fans"
4: a military operation (often involving new supplies of men
and materiel) to strengthen a military force or aid in the
performance of its mission; "they called for artillery
support" [syn: {reinforcement}, {reenforcement}]
5: documentary validation; "his documentation of the results
was excellent"; "the strongest support for this this view
is the work of Jones" [syn: {documentation}]
6: the financial means whereby one lives; "each child was
expected to pay for their keep"; "he applied to the state
for support"; "he could no longer earn his own livelihood"
[syn: {keep}, {livelihood}, {living}, {bread and butter},
{sustenance}]
7: something that holds up or provides a foundation; "the
statue stood on a marble support"
8: the act of bearing the weight of or strengthening; "he
leaned against the wall for support"; "they forded the
stream supporting their packs over their heads" [syn: {supporting}]
9: a subordinate musical part; provides background for more
important parts [syn: {accompaniment}]
10: any device that bears the weight of another thing; "there
was no place to attach supports for a shelf"
11: financial resources provided to make some project possible;
"the foundation provided support for the experiment"
[syn: {financial support}, {funding}, {backing}, {financial
backing}]
v 1: be supportive of; "Will you support me during the meeting?"
[syn: {back up}]
2: support financially in an enterprise; "The scholarship saw
me through college" [syn: {see through}]
3: be behind; support or vote for; "He plumped for the Labor
Party"; "I backed Kennedy in 1960" [syn: {back}, {endorse},
{plump for}, {plunk for}]
4: be the support of; "The beam holds up the roof"; "He
supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam";
"What's holding that mirror?"; also metaphorically: "Her
efforts support us morally" [syn: {hold}, {sustain}, {hold
up}]
5: strengthen or make more firm as by corroboration; "his story
confirmed my doubts" [syn: {confirm}, {corroborate}, {sustain},
{substantiate}, {affirm}] [ant: {negate}]
6: adopt as a belief; "I subscribe to your view on abortion"
[syn: {subscribe}, {stand}]
7: support with evidence or authority : make more certain or
confirm; "The stories and claims were born out by the
evidence" [syn: {corroborate}, {underpin}, {bear out}]
8: argue in defense of [syn: {defend}, {fend for}]
9: support; of morale, theories, etc. [syn: {bolster}, {bolster
up}]
10: play a subordinate role to (another performer)
11: be a customer or client of; "We patronize this store" [syn:
{patronize}, {patronage}]