MEANING
1. To strengthen a building's foundations by providing additional support beneath them.
2. To provide the underlying support or justification for something, such as an argument or policy.
Use it for
subsidence; costly restoration; concealed structural supportMake a rescue of the building depend on work below what is visible.
Words that belong together
- underpin the house
- underpin a wall
- underpinning the foundations
On the page
Engineers decided to underpin the house after its rear wall shifted.
The old wing had been underpinned, but the new extension still settled.
They closed the dining room while workers were underpinning its foundations.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- underpin / underpins
- Past tense
- underpinned
- Past participle
- underpinned
- Present participle
- underpinning
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- underpin / underpins
- Present continuous
- am/is/are underpinning
- Present perfect
- have/has underpinned
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been underpinning
- Past
- underpinned
- Past continuous
- was/were underpinning
- Past perfect
- had underpinned
- Past perfect continuous
- had been underpinning
- Future
- will underpin / underpins
- Future continuous
- will be underpinning
- Future perfect
- will have underpinned
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been underpinning
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: architecture. Structural sense; also figuratively support an argument or system. Do not imply every repair involves underpinning. Verb: underpin, underpins, underpinned, underpinned, underpinning. Related noun: underpinning.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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