Meaning & use
Underpin
Last updated
To support, justify, or form the basis for something; literally, to support a wall or structure from beneath.
See it in a sentence
Years of research underpin the company's new marketing strategy.
Workers had to underpin the old foundation before adding a second floor.
A note on using this word
The literal construction sense, reinforcing a foundation from below, gave rise to the now more common figurative meaning.
Words with a similar meaning
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Words with an opposite meaning
undermine
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