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"
aiding the cause or policy or interests of
"the president no longer has the support of his own party"
"they developed a scheme of mutual support"
something providing immaterial 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"
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"
documentary validation
"his documentation of the results was excellent"
"the strongest support for this view is the work of Jones"
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"
supporting structure that holds up or provides a foundation
"the statue stood on a marble support"
the act of bearing the weight of or strengthening
"he leaned against the wall for support"
a musical part (vocal or instrumental) that supports or provides background for other musical parts
"The violin section provided lush support to the soloist's soaring melody during the finale."
any device that bears the weight of another thing
"there was no place to attach supports for a shelf"
financial resources provided to make some project possible
"the foundation provided support for the experiment"
Something which supports.
"The sturdy oak beam provided essential support for the roof during the storm."
In plain English: Support is the help or encouragement someone gives to another person so they can succeed.
"The bridge was built with strong supports to hold up the heavy traffic."
Usage: As a noun, support refers to physical strength that prevents collapse or emotional encouragement given during difficult times. Use it as an uncountable mass when referring to general assistance, but countable instances like "a pillar of support."
support materially or financially
"he does not support his natural children"
"The scholarship supported me when I was in college"
establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
"his story confirmed my doubts"
"The evidence supports the defendant"
support with evidence or authority or make more certain or confirm
"The stories and claims were born out by the evidence"
play a subordinate role to (another performer)
"Olivier supported Gielgud beautifully in the second act"
be a regular customer or client of
"We patronize this store"
"Our sponsor kept our art studio going for as long as he could"
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
"I cannot bear his constant criticism"
"The new secretary had to endure a lot of unprofessional remarks"
"he learned to tolerate the heat"
"She stuck out two years in a miserable marriage"
To keep from falling.
"She quickly spread her arms out to support herself against the wobbly ladder before she slipped."
In plain English: To support something means to hold it up so it doesn't fall or to help someone deal with a problem.
"She decided to support her friend by listening to her problems every day."
The word entered English via Middle English and Old French from the Latin supportō. Originally meaning to hold up or bear a weight, it has retained this core sense of providing physical or figurative assistance ever since.