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- Dictionaryunderpin/ˌʌndəˈpɪn/
verb
- 1. support (a building or other structure) from below by laying a solid foundation below ground level or by substituting stronger for weaker materials.
- 2. support, justify, or form the basis for: "the theme of honour underpinning the two books"
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to give support, strength, or a basic structure to something: He presented data to underpin his argument. Gradually the laws that underpinned (= formed part of the basic structure of) apartheid were abolished. When restoring the building, the first priority was to underpin the exterior walls by adding wooden supports along the foundations.
The meaning of UNDERPIN is support, substantiate. How to use underpin in a sentence.
Underpin definition: to prop up or support from below; strengthen, as by reinforcing a foundation.. See examples of UNDERPIN used in a sentence.
[VERB noun] ...a style of life extensively underpinned by public money. [VERB noun] underpinning Word forms: plural underpinnings variable noun. ...the economic underpinning of ancient Mexican society. [ + of] Many questioned the moral underpinnings of our financial dealings with each other. [ + of]
architecture formal or specialized. to give support, strength, or a basic structure to something: He presented data to underpin his argument. Gradually the laws that underpinned (= formed part of the basic structure of) apartheid were abolished.
To underpin is to justify or support the ideas behind something, the way your extensive research underpins your self-published book on ice cream trucks in the United States. Whenever you substantiate someone's claims, theories, or stories, you underpin them.
un·der·pin. (ŭn′dər-pĭn′) tr.v. un·der·pinned, un·der·pin·ning, un·der·pins. 1. To support from below, as with props, girders, or masonry. 2. To give support or substance to: assumptions that underpinned their claims. American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
