# uphold

/əpˈhoʊɫd/ (US) · /ʌphˈəʊld/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/uphold
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to confirm a legal decision

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to agree that a previous legal decision was correct and should not be changed.

For teachers: to confirm or ratify a previous judgement or verdict, typically by a higher court or authority.

- The high court decided to uphold the original sentence despite the new evidence.
- The appellate court moved to uphold the lower court's ruling, citing a lack of procedural errors during the initial trial.

Usage: This verb is transitive and almost always takes a legal decision or verdict as its direct object.

### 2. to maintain a principle

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to support or defend a belief, law, or standard that you think is important.

For teachers: to maintain or support a principle, tradition, or law against opposition or decay.

- Police officers take an oath to uphold the law and protect the public.
- The university remains committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity across all its research departments.

Usage: Commonly collocates with abstract nouns like 'values', 'standards', 'tradition', or 'the law'.

### 3. to physically support

verb · CEFR C2 · Literary · Archaic

to hold something up so that it does not fall down.

For teachers: to provide physical support or to keep something erect.

- The old stone pillars uphold the weight of the heavy roof.
- Massive oak beams were installed to uphold the crumbling ceiling of the medieval cathedral.

Teaching tip: In modern English, 'support' or 'hold up' is much more common for physical objects; 'uphold' is now almost exclusively used for abstract or legal concepts.

## Examples

- The supreme court voted to uphold the new law.
- The committee promised to uphold the highest standards of safety throughout the entire construction process.
- In a landmark ruling, the appellate court chose to uphold the original verdict, asserting that no procedural errors had occurred during the initial trial.

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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.