propping up
3
4.0
- noun
:
apoyo
- My question is this: How much are the low interest rates actually propping up home prices by virtue of giving homebuyers more purchasing power?
- propping up the company
- propping up a corrupt government
Examples
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The construction crew was busy propping up the old building to prevent it from collapsing.
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I want pure market forces without any government propping up any one group.
Blog text (8) -
Our children go to sleep hungry and homeless, but we're too busy propping up a dead system that serves the 1%.
Blog text (8) -
The storm that would rock the world began brewing in the US when Congress pushed the idea of home ownership for all, propping up those who couldn't make the down payments.
Blog text (11) -
For one thing, the SNB spent $4.1 billion propping up the Euro in Q1—that's a lot of money.
Blog text (23) -
So we stayed there fixing old furniture and propping up reeling mangers, building benches and tables for the local teashops.
Fiction book (1994) -
That is another reason why some people are advocating that the IMF play a greater role in propping up weakened euro-zone members and become the lender of last resort.
Blog text (23) -
He is propping up the fading painting with a sturdy frame to keep it in place.
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Propping up the roof with wooden beams helped to stabilize the structure during the renovation.
Synonyms
4
6.5
Support for a wall or building using props to stop collapse
3
7.4
Beams or props placed to support a building and stop it collapsing
Antonyms
How Supported
1
3.7
- Specialized
4
6.5
3
4.0
- Specialized
1
6.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'propping up' is directly derived from the verb 'prop' (to support) plus the particle 'up' indicating placement/stabilization, so its meaning 'the act of supporting' is predictable from the constituents. This verb+particle composition is a common, compositional pattern in English (and parallels exist in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows the component words will readily understand it.
Etymology
The noun propping up comes from the simple image of using a prop to hold something up: people would place a stick or beam under a weak bridge or wall to keep it standing, so today it means 'supporting' something temporarily.