SUPPORTING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does supporting mean? 

• SUPPORTING (noun)
  The noun SUPPORTING has 1 sense:

1. the act of bearing the weight of or strengthening

  Familiarity information: SUPPORTING used as a noun is very rare.

• SUPPORTING (adjective)
  The adjective SUPPORTING has 2 senses:

1. furnishing support and encouragement

2. capable of bearing a structural load

  Familiarity information: SUPPORTING used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SUPPORTING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of bearing the weight of or strengthening

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

support; supporting

Context example:

he leaned against the wall for support

Hypernyms ("supporting" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "supporting"):

propping up; shoring; shoring up (the act of propping up with shores)

dangling; hanging; suspension (the act of suspending something (hanging it from above so it moves freely))

Derivation:

support (be the physical support of; carry the weight of)

• SUPPORTING (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Furnishing support and encouragement

Synonyms:

encouraging; supporting

Context example:

the anxious child needs supporting and accepting treatment from the teacher

Similar:

supportive (furnishing support or assistance)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Capable of bearing a structural load

Synonyms:

load-bearing; supporting

Context example:

a supporting wall

Similar:

bearing ((of a structural member) withstanding a weight or strain)

 Context examples 

Terminology associated with the supporting evidence for re-treatment codelist of the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) Standard Data Tabulation Model (SDTM).

(CDISC SDTM Supporting Evidence for Re-Treatment Terminology, NCI Thesaurus)

Cancer cells in some cases have reduced levels of p27, supporting the importance of p27 in cell cycle regulation.

(p27 Regulation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

The act of moving while supporting something in one's hands or on one's body.

(Carrying, NCI Thesaurus)

Supporting tissue that surrounds other tissues and organs.

(Connective tissue, NCI Dictionary)

The supporting connective tissue of an organ.

(Connective and Soft Tissue, NCI Thesaurus)

The structure is such that the supporting cell touches the outer hair cell only at the top and bottom.

(Outer Supporting Cell, NCI Thesaurus)

According to the authors, this provides some evidence supporting a causal link between irregular sleep and metabolic dysfunction.

(Study links irregular sleep patterns to metabolic disorders, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

They contain neurons, supporting cells, and neuroepithelial cells.

(Nerve Tissue, Neuroepithelial Tissue, and Nerve Sheaths, NCI Thesaurus)

I paused a moment, and looking in, saw him supporting her insensible figure in his arms.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Meanwhile I will simply show you how capable my apparatus is of supporting the weight of each of us.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)