support
support — verb
1. To express your backing for a person, group, plan, or idea because you believe i
To express your backing for a person, group, plan, or idea because you believe in what they do and hope they will succeed.
Talia's family supported her decision to study art at university.
support + noun phrase (decision / idea / proposal)
Over a thousand local residents signed a letter supporting the new park project.
support + noun phrase (project / plan / bill)
The senator said she would support the bill if some changes were made.
Several local businesses supported the festival by donating food and drinks.
support + [event] by + gerund
Brandon's coworkers supported his proposal for a four-day work week.
- support a decision
- support a proposal
- support a cause
- support a candidate
- support an idea
Grammar Patterns
support + noun phrase
support + person + in + gerund
Usage Note
Commonly used with the preposition 'in' followed by a gerund: support someone in doing something. The object is typically a person, a group, a decision, a plan, a proposal, or a project.
Common Mistakes
2. To regularly follow a specific club or athlete and wish for their victory, with
To regularly follow a specific club or athlete and wish for their victory, with devotion that fans demonstrate through attendance at matches or displaying team colours.
Devika has supported the local football team since she was a child.
support + team + since + time reference
Minho supports a different baseball team than his father does.
Thousands of fans travelled from abroad to support their team in the final match.
support + team + in + competition
Apinya always wears her team's shirt when she goes to support them at the stadium.
- support a team
- support a club
- support a player
- support a side
Grammar Patterns
support + team / player
Usage Note
The object is always a sports team, club, or individual athlete. In British English this sense is far more common than in American English, where 'root for' is often preferred.
3. To give comfort, practical aid, or encouragement to someone who is facing a hard
To give comfort, practical aid, or encouragement to someone who is facing a hard time, so that they feel less alone and can manage better.
Tomás supported his sister through months of difficult medical treatment.
support + person + through + difficulty
After Roya lost her job, her friends supported her with job applications and interview practice.
support + person + with + practical help
The school counselling centre supports students who feel stressed about exams.
Ife supported his elderly neighbour by driving her to the grocery store each week.
support + person + by + gerund
Tara's colleagues supported her after she lost her father last winter.
- support someone through
- support someone with
- support each other
- support a friend
- mutual support
Grammar Patterns
support + person + through + difficulty
support + person + with + help
Usage Note
Often followed by 'through' for a difficult period, 'with' for specific forms of help, or 'by' for a particular action. The focus is on aiding someone during hardship rather than simply agreeing with them.
Common Mistakes
4. To earn or provide enough money for a person or people who depend on you, so the
To earn or provide enough money for a person or people who depend on you, so they can pay for food, housing, clothing, and other basic needs.
After her parents passed away, Anya worked two jobs to support her younger brothers.
support + family + financially
Theo supports his family on a single salary while his wife completes her degree.
support + family + on + [income]
The government programme supports low-income families with monthly payments.
passive: be supported by [institution]
Élise sends money home each month to support her aging parents in the countryside.
- support a family
- support dependents
- support a household
- support children
- support oneself
- provide for
slightly more formal; can include non-financial care
- maintain
more formal, often used in legal contexts
- keep
informal; 'He works to keep his family.'
Grammar Patterns
support + person + on + income
support + family / dependents
Usage Note
The object is a person or group who depends on the subject for livelihood. The amount or source of money can be introduced by 'on' (support a family on a small income) or 'by' (supported by state benefits).
Common Mistakes
5. To pay the costs of an activity, event, project, or habit so that it can happen
To pay the costs of an activity, event, project, or habit so that it can happen or continue to exist.
The research project was supported by a grant from the national science foundation.
passive: be supported by + funding source
Tomás supports his photography hobby by selling prints at local art markets.
support + hobby + by + method of funding
The city council supports the annual arts festival with a large donation.
Devika's travel blog is supported entirely by advertising revenue from her readers.
- support a project
- support an event
- support a programme
- support a habit
- support research
Grammar Patterns
support + activity + by + method
passive: be supported by + funding
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 4: here the object is an activity, event, or habit, not a person. The source of money can be introduced by 'by', 'through', or 'with'.
Common Mistakes
6. To provide enough food, water, and other basic conditions for a living thing to
To provide enough food, water, and other basic conditions for a living thing to remain alive and healthy.
The river supports a wide variety of fish and plant life along its course.
support + [type of life] (fish, plants, animals)
These dry grasslands can only support a small number of wild animals.
The farm produces enough rice to support the village through the winter months.
support + population + through + period
Underground pools of rainwater support the cactus plants in the desert.
- support life
- support wildlife
- support a population
- support growth
- support an ecosystem
Grammar Patterns
support + living things
support + population / life
Usage Note
The subject is typically a natural environment, resource, or system. The object is the life form or population that depends on it. Distinguish from sense 4, which is about financial provision for people.
7. to hold something from underneath so that it stays in place and does not fall do
to hold something from underneath so that it stays in place and does not fall down
Thick wooden posts support the roof of the old barn.
support + concrete object (roof, beam, shelf)
Arjun used a folded towel to support his sore wrist while he slept.
The bridge is supported by four large stone pillars.
passive: be supported by [structural element]
Folake wore a wide belt to support her lower back during the move.
Tendai built a small wooden stand to support the heavy plant pot.
support + purpose clause: to support [object]
- support + weight
- support + roof
- support + beam
- support + back
- support + wrist
- be supported by + pillars/posts/struts
Grammar Patterns
support + object
Usage Note
Frequently used in the passive voice when describing how a structure is held up. Commonly appears with body parts (back, wrist, neck, knee) as the object in health-related contexts.
Common Mistakes
8. to provide facts or information that make a statement, idea, or theory seem more
to provide facts or information that make a statement, idea, or theory seem more likely to be correct
Recent studies support the idea that eating less sugar improves long-term health.
support + abstract object (idea/theory/claim)
The photos taken that night support the driver's account of the accident.
Omar found new data that strongly supported his argument about rising sea levels.
adverb strongly + support: reinforcing the claim
No evidence was found to support the claim that the factory was unsafe.
negative: no evidence to support [claim]
These test results support the scientists' earlier guess about the cause of the disease.
- support + theory
- support + claim
- support + argument
- support + idea
- support + evidence
- strongly support
- support + conclusion
- findings support
- confirm
stronger; suggests final proof
- back up
more informal, often used in everyday speech
- corroborate
formal, used in legal or academic contexts
- substantiate
very formal, used in written arguments
- disprove
to show something is false
- contradict
to be opposite to a statement or fact
Grammar Patterns
support + object (theory/claim/argument)
Usage Note
The subject is usually a fact, study, result, piece of evidence, or data. Cannot be used with a person as subject in this sense — 'The witness supports the theory' means the witness's words provide evidence, not that the witness personally agrees (that belongs to sense 1).
Common Mistakes
9. to agree to let something happen or continue without objecting to it
to agree to let something happen or continue without objecting to it
The school does not support the use of mobile phones during class.
not support + gerund: refusal to allow
Nikos's parents fully support his choice to study music at university.
The new company policy supports flexible working hours for parents.
support + policy/decision as object
A majority of the committee refused to support any changes to the voting rules.
The local council supports the building of a new park in the town centre.
support + gerund: supporting an activity
- support + decision
- support + policy
- support + plan
- support + change
- support + use of
- support + building of
- fully support
- not support
Grammar Patterns
support + object (decision/policy/plan)
not support + gerund
Usage Note
Often used in formal or institutional contexts, especially with negative constructions ('do not support', 'cannot support') to state opposition. Distinguish from sense 1 (AGREE ENCOURAGE): sense 1 implies active backing, while sense 9 implies passive permission or non-opposition.
Common Mistakes
10. to appear on stage at a live music event and play while the audience waits for t
to appear on stage at a live music event and play while the audience waits for the headlining act to arrive
A young jazz band from Bristol supported the pop star during her UK tour.
support + performer on tour
Rin's band will be supporting a famous rock group at Wembley next month.
The singer was supported by a well-known pianist at the festival last year.
passive: be supported by [supporting act]
João had the chance to support one of his favourite musicians in Lisbon.
- support + band
- support + singer
- support + performer
- support + on tour
- open for
common in American English
- warm up for
informal, often used among musicians
Grammar Patterns
support + performer/band
support + object + on tour
Usage Note
Common in British English for live music contexts. In American English, 'opened for' is more common. The supporting act is called the 'support act' or 'supporting act'.
Common Mistakes
11. to be designed to work correctly with a particular computer system, program, or
to be designed to work correctly with a particular computer system, program, or device
The new printer does not support older versions of the operating system.
not support + technology: compatibility limitation
This application supports both Android and Apple smartphones.
support + platform/OS as object
The game console supports wireless headphones and controllers.
Sirin checked whether her laptop supported the latest video editing software.
Our website no longer supports Internet Explorer, so please use a different browser.
no longer support: discontinued compatibility
- support + software
- support + system
- support + device
- support + format
- support + browser
- support + language
- support + platform
- no longer support
- not support
- work with
more general and less technical
- be compatible with
more formal technical phrasing
- run on
used for software and operating systems
Grammar Patterns
support + object (device/software/standard)
Usage Note
Used almost exclusively in computing and technology contexts. The subject is a product (hardware, software, system); the object is the standard, protocol, or other product it works with. Common in technical documentation and user guides.
Common Mistakes
❌ 'The software is supporting many languages.' (when describing a static feature) — Use the simple present tense: 'The software supports many languages.'
12. to deal with a difficult or unpleasant situation without giving up or breaking d
to deal with a difficult or unpleasant situation without giving up or breaking down
The villagers could not support the harsh winter without extra food supplies.
support + hardship: enduring a difficult situation
Aaron could no longer support the pain in his knee and finally saw a doctor.
support + pain: enduring physical discomfort
The team supported the coach's harsh criticism and worked even harder.
Esme found it difficult to support her friend's constant complaints about work.
find it difficult to support + [situation]: expressing strain
- support + pain
- support + hardship
- support + criticism
- support + conditions
- cannot support
- could not support
- hard to support
- bear
more common in everyday speech
- endure
suggests suffering over a long period
- put up with
informal, very common in spoken English
- withstand
suggests resistance against pressure or force
- give up
to stop trying to deal with something
- succumb to
formal, to give in to pressure or difficulty
Grammar Patterns
support + object (hardship/pain/criticism)
Usage Note
Often used in negative or challenging contexts with 'cannot support' or 'could not support'. The object is typically an unpleasant situation, hardship, pain, or difficult person. This sense is less common in modern everyday speech, where 'bear' or 'put up with' are more frequent.
Common Mistakes
❌ 'She supported the long hours very well.' (sounds odd in modern English) — Consider: 'She coped with the long hours very well.' or 'She endured the long hours very well.' The 'endure' sense of 'support' is somewhat formal and less commonly used in positive contexts.
support — noun
1. agreement and active encouragement that you give to a person, group, or idea bec
agreement and active encouragement that you give to a person, group, or idea because you believe in them
The local community showed its support for the new library by attending the opening ceremony.
show + support + for + [something/someone]
The senator's support for the education bill helped it pass through Parliament.
The charity relies on public support to fund its programs for homeless families.
Several well-known musicians gave their support to the campaign for cleaner rivers.
give + support + to + [campaign/cause]
- show support
- give support
- express support
- public support
- support for a proposal
- win support
- backing
stronger and often implies active assistance, not just agreement
- endorsement
formal or public declaration of support
- approval
focuses on agreement, less on active encouragement
- opposition
active disagreement or resistance
Grammar Patterns
uncountable noun
show/express/give + support + for + [something/someone]
Usage Note
Uncountable in this sense — do not use 'a support' when referring to agreement or encouragement.
Common Mistakes
2. the help you give to someone who is facing a difficult situation, either by list
the help you give to someone who is facing a difficult situation, either by listening or by doing practical things for them
When her father fell ill, the neighbours offered support by cooking meals for the family.
offer + support + by + [doing something]
The school set up a peer support group for students who felt lonely or stressed.
Mayumi received emotional support from her colleagues after losing her job.
emotional support / practical support
The charity provides practical support such as helping people fill out benefit forms.
- emotional support
- practical support
- peer support
- offer support
- receive support
- support group
- assistance
slightly more formal, often used in official contexts
- aid
more formal; frequently used for organized relief or material help
- help
more general and everyday in tone
- neglect
failure to give needed help
Grammar Patterns
uncountable noun
Usage Note
Uncountable. Widely used in fixed phrases like 'emotional support', 'practical support', and 'peer support.'
3. money provided to cover a person's basic living costs such as food, rent, and cl
money provided to cover a person's basic living costs such as food, rent, and clothing
After his parents divorced, his father paid child support every month.
child support
The government offers financial support to low-income families through housing benefits.
financial support
Ryo and his brother rely on their parents' financial support while studying at university.
The artist received enough support from donors to rent a studio and buy materials.
- financial support
- child support
- provide support
- receive support
- live on support
- maintenance
specifically regular payments after divorce, BrE
- financial assistance
more formal, often used by institutions
- subsistence
technical term for minimum living costs
Grammar Patterns
uncountable noun
Usage Note
Uncountable. 'Child support' is a specific legal term for regular payments a parent makes after separation or divorce.
Common Mistakes
4. an object that keeps something in position by holding its weight, usually from b
an object that keeps something in position by holding its weight, usually from below to prevent it from falling
The wooden supports under the old bridge had begun to rot after years of rain.
countable: a support / supports
That tall bookshelf needs extra support to stop it from tipping over.
The builder added steel supports to strengthen the ceiling of the basement.
steel / wooden / concrete supports
Concrete supports hold the highway above the busy intersection in the city centre.
- steel support
- wooden support
- concrete support
- provide support
- a support beam
- support structure
- prop
a temporary support that holds something in position
- brace
a support that holds things in place and prevents movement
- foundation
the base that supports a structure from below
- pillar
a tall vertical support, often decorative
Grammar Patterns
countable: a support / supports
uncountable: physical support
Usage Note
Countable when referring to individual objects ('a support,' 'two supports'). Uncountable when describing the function ('The wall provides support for the roof.').
Common Mistakes
5. a medical device that you wear over a weak or injured spot on your body, holding
a medical device that you wear over a weak or injured spot on your body, holding it in place and protecting it while you move
Iker wore a knee support for six weeks after he injured himself playing football.
a [body part] + support
The doctor recommended a back support for anyone who sits at a desk all day.
After twisting his ankle, Gabriel used a lightweight ankle support during his morning runs.
The physiotherapist fitted Mira with a wrist support to help the tendon heal properly.
wear / fit / use + a [body part] support
- knee support
- back support
- ankle support
- wrist support
- wear a support
- a lightweight support
Grammar Patterns
a [body part] + support
wear + a + support
Usage Note
Countable. The body part always precedes the word — 'knee support,' 'back support,' 'wrist support' — not 'support for the knee.'
Common Mistakes
6. facts or information that help to prove that a statement, idea, or belief is tru
facts or information that help to prove that a statement, idea, or belief is true
The scientist found support for her theory in data collected over ten years.
find + support + for + [theory/claim]
There is strong support for the claim that regular exercise improves mental health.
strong / little / no support for + [claim]
The lawyer sought documentary support to prove her client was at home that night.
Historians found little support for the claim that the king was murdered by his brother.
- strong support
- little support
- documentary support
- support for a theory
- find support
- provide support
- evidence
more general and widely used in everyday contexts
- proof
stronger than support; implies certainty
- confirmation
support that comes from verifying existing information
- contradiction
information that shows a statement is false
Grammar Patterns
uncountable noun
support + for + [claim/theory/argument]
Usage Note
Uncountable. Often followed by 'for' — 'support for an argument/a claim/a theory.' Frequently used in academic, legal, or scientific writing.
Common Mistakes
7. a musician or musical group that plays before the main performer at a concert, f
a musician or musical group that plays before the main performer at a concert, festival, or other live event, helping to warm up the audience for the headliner.
Élise arrived early to catch the support act, a local band from Bristol.
catch the support act = go to see the opening performer
The record label chose Bao's group as the support for the European tour.
Ryan had never heard of the support act but ended up buying their album.
discovers a new artist through a support act
After three years as a support act, the band finally got their own headline tour.
career progression: support act → headline act
The stadium filled up while the first support act played their short set.
- support act
- support slot
- support band
- supporting artist
- opening act
more common in American English; interchangeable with 'support act'
- supporting act
more common in British English; slightly more formal than 'support act'
- warm-up act
more informal; emphasises the role of preparing the audience for the main performer
Grammar Patterns
support + act
supporting + noun
Usage Note
Often paired with 'act' as a fixed collocation ('support act'). The support act is typically a less established performer than the headliner and performs a shorter set.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- supporternounB1
- supportiveadjectiveB2
- supportableadjectiveC1
- unsupportedadjectiveB2
- supportivelyadverbC1
- supportivenessnounC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
These six verbs all relate to supporting something, but differ in scope and feel. 'Back' is more informal and often implies betting on success: 'The investors backed the startup with seed funding.' 'Uphold' is formal and suggests defending a principle or decision: 'The court upheld the lower court's ruling.' 'Advocate' means to argue publicly in favour of a cause: 'Doctors advocate for stricter air quality regulations.' 'Sustain' is more formal and implies keeping something going over time: 'The charity sustains its programs through donations.' 'Bolster' means to strengthen something that is already there: 'The new data bolstered the team's confidence.' 'Maintain' can mean to keep a position or argument alive: 'She maintains that the policy is unfair.' For a learner: use 'back' in conversation, 'advocate' for causes, 'uphold' for principles and laws, 'sustain' for long-term support, and 'bolster' when adding strength to something that needs a little extra help.
Common collocations
Nouns
- support system
- support group
- support network
- support staff
- support services
- life support
- income support
- child support
- technical support
- customer support
Adverbs
- strongly support
- fully support
- actively support
- wholeheartedly support
- mutually support
Phrases
- in support of
- show support
- offer support
- express support
- provide support
- lend support
- win support
- drum up support
- rally support
- give one's full support
Prepositions
- in support of
- support for
- support by
- support through
- support with
Etymology
From Latin 'supportare' (sub- 'up from below' + portare 'to carry'), meaning 'to carry from underneath.' Entered English via Old French 'supporter' in the 14th century. The physical sense (hold up) came first; the figurative senses (encourage, provide for, endure) developed by the 15th–16th centuries.