transitive verb

1. 1. to carry or bear the weight of; keep from falling, slipping or sinking; hold up
   2. to carry or bear (a specified weight, strain, pressure, etc.)
2. to give courage, faith, or confidence to; help or comfort
3. to give approval to or be in favor of; subscribe to; uphold
4. to maintain or provide for (a person, institution, etc.) with money, or subsistence
5. to show or tend to show to be true; help prove, vindicate, or corroborate evidence to support a claim
6. to bear; endure; submit to; tolerate
7. to keep up; maintain; sustain; specif., to maintain (the price of a specified commodity) as by government purchase of surpluses
8. Comput. to be compatible with
   see compatible (sense )
9. Theater to act a subordinate role in the same play with (a specified star)

Etymology: ME supporten < MFr supporter < LL(Ec) supportare, to endure, bear < L, to carry, bring to a place < sub-, sub- + portare, to carry: see port

noun

1. a supporting or being supported
2. a person or thing that supports; specif.,
   1. a prop, base, brace, etc.
   2. a means of subsistence
   3. an elastic, girdlelike device to support or bind a part of the body
   4. maintenance and service, as for a computer system's software or hardware technical support

adjective