buttresses 1 of 2

noun

plural of buttress
1
as in anchors
something or someone to which one looks for support the mother had always been the buttress of our family in trying times

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2
as in pillars
a structure that holds up or serves as a foundation for something else after the wall collapsed, the construction company agreed to rebuild it with a buttress

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buttresses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of buttress
1
as in supports
to hold up or serve as a foundation for a brace buttressed the wall

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2
as in reinforces
to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea) a mass of circumstantial evidence buttresses the prosecutor's case

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of buttresses
Noun
With their swollen, flaring buttresses and soaring heights of 80 feet or more, the trees are awe-inspiring when reflected in the dark water. — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026 Researchers have been concerned that without their icy buttresses, these walls could collapse. — Megan I. Gannon, Scientific American, 6 May 2026 Three setbacks provide space for landscaped terraces, and at these floors, the structural columns slope inward, becoming tall buttresses that reintegrate into the latticework. — Adam Williams april 21, New Atlas, 21 Apr. 2026 Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality. — Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026 There were also some spider-like buttresses for the London streets. — Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Dec. 2023
Verb
The document filed by the Justice Department in the Los Angeles Superior Court case led by plaintiffs Todd and Kimberley Ferrier — whose Pacific Palisades home burned down — buttresses arguments made by the victims’ attorneys. — Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026 That very insight further buttresses the need for a grand strategy. — James B. Steinberg, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttresses
  1. anchors
  2. pillars
  3. supports
  4. reinforces
  5. backbones
  6. shores
  7. sustains
  8. bolsters
Noun
  • Rising in hexagonal or octagonal forms amidst low-rise dwellings, these pagodas stand as emotional anchors of hometown memory.
    — Footwear News, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Along with the Vancouver Art Gallery (a former court house) and the nearby Hotel Georgia, the Hotel Vancouver is one of the three anchors that determined how downtown Vancouver was built, and how the neighborhood behaves today.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of anchors
Noun
  • The ground floor features an 18-seat bar with a rum wall backsplash, carved Moai heads and high-tops that spill out to a lush faux-grass courtyard framed in palm trees and tiki-totem pillars.
    — Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The pillars of maintaining safe and secure facilities and preparing people for reentry can only be realized if the Bureau of Prisons is provided the necessary resources.
    — Scott Peyton, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of pillars
Verb
  • The fact that hunting is a season — and not a year-round activity — supports this.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Though the pipeline hasn’t transported gas to Germany since 2022, the country’s far-right AfD supports resuming flows, which could allow US investors to profit.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of supports
Verb
  • The experience unfolds almost like a graphic novel, with each layer revealing polar bear artwork that reinforces the company's message of dependable, environmentally conscious power.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026
  • While the report largely reinforces the National Transportation Safety Board’s conclusions, the civilian investigation was broader and the NTSB focused on years of warning signs missed by the Federal Aviation Administration.
    — Josh Funk, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of reinforces
Noun
  • The structural backbones of the phalanges are 3D-printed from PLA, while soft silicone interfaces provide friction and compliance when the fingers contact a branch.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026
  • More specifically, insects are invertebrates (animals without backbones) and are part of the arthropod phylum, which also includes spiders, crabs, and centipedes.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of backbones
Noun
  • The shores of Clearwater Beach are packed block-to-block with resorts booked up by eager beachgoers, but the JW Marriott might just be the one to convince you to hang around a little bit longer before launching into Clearwater’s ombré coast.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Coastal flooding will remain the biggest concern for the region in the coming days, particularly for south-facing shores, given the combination of high tides, a higher-than-typical water level and the arriving tropical storm.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of shores
Verb
  • As a genre that sustains narrative variety and experimentation through cutting-edge style, horror almost certainly produces more than any one fan has time to find, let alone watch.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Something that died but will not stay dead, that sustains itself by feeding on the living and destroying them in turn.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of sustains
Verb
  • Some requests were for DeepSeek’s technology, a finding that bolsters assertions from Congress that the company is in bed with the CCP’s military and spying apparatus.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Self-awareness bolsters leadership while self-surveillance nearly always undermines it.
    — Carol Geffner, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of bolsters

Browse Nearby Words

buttressed
buttresses
buttressing
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Cite this Entry

“Buttresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttresses. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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