English Reference
Verb

upholding

v.
C1 Advanced US /əpˈhoʊɫdɪŋ/ UK /ʌphˈəʊldɪŋ/ up·hold·ing

v.to support or defend a law, a decision, or a principle so that it stays in place. You use this when a higher authority agrees that a previous choice was correct.

v.to maintain, support, or confirm a previous decision or law, especially against a challenge. Transitive; frequently used in legal contexts where a higher court affirms the ruling of a lower court.


SIMPLE

The judge decided to uphold the original sentence.

CONTEXTUAL

After reviewing the evidence, the committee voted to uphold the ban on single-use plastics in the city.

COMPLEX

The supreme court eventually chose to uphold the lower court's ruling, effectively cementing the legal precedent for future civil rights cases across the country.

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, such as a law, decision, or tradition.

Pitfall
The court upheld to the decision.The court upheld the decision.

Uphold is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'to' before its object.

Schwartz will have to tread a narrow path in upholding the CDC’s mission to safeguard public health in the face of political pressure.

The Conversation· 19 Aug 2026

More broadly, they played an important role upholding the religious diversity of American society.

The Conversation· 4 Aug 2026
This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated