# supporting

/səˈpɔɹtɪŋ/ (US) · /səpˈɔːtɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/supporting
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. helping or secondary

adjective · CEFR B1

describing a person or thing that helps a main part succeed, like an actor who is not the lead.

For teachers: serving to provide assistance or backing; in performing arts, denoting a role or performer secondary to the leads.

- She won an award for best supporting actress in the new drama.
- The lead researcher acknowledged that the supporting staff were instrumental in managing the daily logistics of the clinical trial.

Usage: Usually placed before the noun it describes.

### 2. providing evidence

adjective · CEFR B2 · Academic

giving proof or reasons that show an idea is true.

For teachers: providing corroboration or evidence to strengthen a claim or argument.

- You need to include supporting documents with your visa application.
- The legal team spent months gathering supporting evidence to ensure the witness's testimony would hold up under cross-examination.

Usage: Commonly used with nouns like 'evidence', 'documents', or 'details'.

### 3. giving help or holding up

verb · CEFR B1

the action of helping someone or holding the weight of something.

For teachers: the present participle of 'support', indicating the ongoing act of providing assistance, approval, or physical bracing.

- Thank you for supporting our small business during the holidays.
- By supporting the local community through various charitable initiatives, the corporation managed to significantly improve its public image.

Usage: Used in continuous tenses or as a gerund.

### 4. a physical support

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

something that holds another thing up so it does not fall.

For teachers: a structural element or material that provides physical stability or bears weight.

- The workers added extra supporting to the old wall before they started the repairs.
- The architectural plan called for steel supporting to be integrated into the foundation to prevent subsidence in the marshy soil.

Usage: Often refers to temporary structures in construction.

## Examples

- She has a very supporting family.
- The local government provided supporting evidence to justify the new environmental regulations.
- While the lead actor received the most praise, the supporting cast provided the emotional depth necessary to make the play a success.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.