uphold
to support and protect a law, rule, right, or belief so that people continue to follow and respect it
To support, maintain, and defend a law, principle, right, standard, or set of values so that it continues to be respected and followed.
to say in an official way that an earlier decision or a complaint is right and will not be changed
To formally decide that an earlier decision, ruling, verdict, complaint, or appeal was correct and will continue to have effect.
to hold something up from under it so it does not fall
To physically support or hold something up from below so that it does not fall.
- Base: uphold
- 3rd Person Singular: upholds
- Present Participle: upholding
- Past: upheld
- Past Participle: upheld
- Irregular past: upheld Verb
- Irregular past participle: upheld Verb
uphold a complaint
9decide that a complaint is valid
to officially decide that a complaint is right and should be accepted
- The ombudsman upheld her complaint against the bank.
- Only a small number of the complaints were upheld.
uphold a decision
2formally keep a decision in place
to officially say that an earlier decision was right and will stay the same
- The appeal panel chose to uphold the original decision.
- A higher court can overturn or uphold a decision from a lower court.
uphold a ruling
7confirm an earlier legal ruling
to officially say that an earlier legal decision by a court or authority was correct
- The Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling on the matter.
- The commission decided not to uphold the earlier ruling.
uphold a verdict
8confirm a court’s verdict
to officially say that a court’s earlier decision about guilt or innocence was correct
- An appeals court upheld the guilty verdict.
- The judge refused to uphold the verdict after new evidence appeared.
uphold an appeal
10decide that an appeal is right
to officially decide that someone’s request to change a decision is right
- The disciplinary committee upheld his appeal and reduced the penalty.
- Her appeal was upheld, and she was allowed to retake the exam.
uphold human rights
5protect and respect human rights
to act in a way that protects and respects the basic rights that every person should have
- International organizations work to uphold human rights worldwide.
- The report says the government has failed to uphold human rights.
uphold standards
3maintain rules or levels of quality
to make sure that certain rules or levels of quality stay high and are followed
- Managers must uphold standards of safety in the workplace.
- The school tries hard to uphold academic standards.
uphold the constitution
6defend and follow the constitution
to support, protect, and follow the main laws of a country written in its constitution
- Every elected official swears to uphold the constitution.
- They argued that the new law did not uphold the constitution.
uphold the law
1make sure the law is followed
to act in a way that supports the law and makes sure people obey it
- It is the duty of the police to uphold the law without bias.
- Judges are expected to uphold the law, even when it is unpopular.
uphold values
4support and keep moral values
to support and protect important ideas about what is right and wrong in a group or society
- The charity was founded to uphold community values.
- Parents hope their children will uphold the family’s values.