uphold
- 01 C1 Advanced
to agree that a previous legal decision was correct and should not be changed.
to confirm or ratify a previous judgement or verdict, typically by a higher court or authority.
Simple“The high court decided to uphold the original sentence despite the new evidence.”
In context“The appellate court moved to uphold the lower court's ruling, citing a lack of procedural errors during the initial trial.”
UsageThis verb is transitive and almost always takes a legal decision or verdict as its direct object.
- 02 C1 Advanced
to support or defend a belief, law, or standard that you think is important.
to maintain or support a principle, tradition, or law against opposition or decay.
Simple“Police officers take an oath to uphold the law and protect the public.”
In context“The university remains committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity across all its research departments.”
UsageCommonly collocates with abstract nouns like 'values', 'standards', 'tradition', or 'the law'.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
to hold something up so that it does not fall down.
to provide physical support or to keep something erect.
Simple“The old stone pillars uphold the weight of the heavy roof.”
In context“Massive oak beams were installed to uphold the crumbling ceiling of the medieval cathedral.”
Teacher's tipIn modern English, 'support' or 'hold up' is much more common for physical objects; 'uphold' is now almost exclusively used for abstract or legal concepts.
“Strict regulations protect the environment and uphold safety standards but can add costs.”
“Uphold the decisions of the international court of justice and the international criminal court.”
From Middle English upholden, equivalent to up- + hold. Compare Dutch ophouden (“to stop, cease, hold up”), German aufhalten (“to stop, halt, detain”). Compare also Middle Low German upholt, Old Norse upphald (“uphold, support”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.