1. Furnishing support and encouragement
   "the anxious child needs supporting and accepting treatment from the teacher";
   - encouraging
    
2. Capable of bearing a structural load
   "a supporting wall";
   - load-bearing

1. The act of bearing the weight of or strengthening
   "The supporting of the damaged wall prevented further collapse";
   - support

1. Give moral or psychological support, aid, or courage to
   "She supported him during the illness";
   - back up
    
2. Provide material help or money to cover living expenses
   "he does not support his natural children"; "The scholarship supported me when I was in college"
    
3. Be the physical support of; carry the weight of
   "He supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam";
   - hold, sustain, hold up
    
4. Establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
   "The evidence supports the defendant";
   - confirm, corroborate, sustain, substantiate, affirm
    
5. Actively promote or advocate for someone to take on a particular role
   "I supported Kennedy in 1960";
   - back, endorse, indorse [rare], plump for
    
6. Have agreement with or belief in an idea or cause
   "Many citizens supported the new environmental initiative";
   - subscribe
    
7. Argue or speak in defence of
   "She supported the motion to strike";
   - defend
    
8. Support or confirm with evidence or authority
   "The new findings support our initial hypothesis";
   - corroborate, underpin, bear out
    
9. Be a regular customer or client of
   "We support this store";
   - patronize, patronise [Brit], keep going
    
10. Play a subordinate role to (another performer)
    "Olivier supported Gielgud beautifully in the second act"
     
11. Put up with something or somebody unpleasant
    "She had to support her neighbour's loud music";
    - digest, endure, stick out, stomach, bear, stand, tolerate, brook, abide, suffer, put up

Derived forms: supportings

See also: bearing, supportive

Type of: act, activity, agree, allow, approve, argue, check, concord, concur, correspond, countenance, fit, foster, gibe, give, greenlight, green-light, hold, jibe, let, marry, marry up, match, move, nurture, O.K., OK, okay, permit, play, reason, represent, sanction, square, tally

Encyclopedia: Supporting