uphold
To support or defend something, such as a rule or belief.
uphold in a sentence
- The referee must uphold the rules even when the crowd disagrees.
- Librarians uphold the quiet rule, gently reminding chatterers with a finger to their lips.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to uphold?
- Aignore
- Bsupport
- Coppose
- Dbreak
Show the answer
B: support. The other three mean the opposite of uphold.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to uphold?
- Asupport
- Bdefend
- Cbreak
- Dmaintain
Show the answer
C: break. The other three mean nearly the same as uphold.
Words that mean something similar
support, defend, maintain
Words that mean the opposite
break, oppose, ignore
More words about behaviour & manners
- vile: Extremely unpleasant or nasty.
- volatile: Likely to change suddenly, often for the worse.
- wary: Careful because you sense there might be danger.
- wasteful: Using more of something than you need, so some of it is thrown away or lost.
- wayward: Behaving badly and hard to control.
- wholesome: Good for you and healthy.
- yield: To give in and stop fighting, or to produce something like crops.
- adhere: To stick firmly to something, or to follow a rule closely.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test