Crosswords are weird. You’re sitting there with a cup of coffee, staring at a grid that feels like it was designed by someone who actually hates you, and you hit a wall. One of the most common walls people hit is the support with up crossword clue. It shows up everywhere. The New York Times, The LA Times, The Wall Street Journal—they all love it. But here is the thing: the answer isn’t always what you think it is, and the "up" part is usually doing a lot of heavy lifting that confuses your brain.
It’s a linguistic trap.
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Most people see "support" and think of a physical object like a pillar or a beam. Or maybe they think of emotional help. But when you add that little two-letter word "up," the context shifts into the world of phrasal verbs. In the world of cryptic and standard crosswords, "up" can be a direction, a state of being, or just a literal part of the answer itself.
The Most Common Answers for Support With Up
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. If you’re looking at a four-letter space and the clue is support with up crossword, the answer is almost certainly BEAR.
To "bear up" means to remain cheerful or strong during a difficult time. It’s a classic synonym. But crosswords are rarely that kind. Sometimes the grid wants BACK. To "back up" is to support a claim or a person. If you have five letters? Try SHORE. To "shore up" is to support a wall or a failing organization.
See the pattern? The "up" is usually external to the grid. The clue is asking for the verb that precedes the word "up" in common English usage.
But sometimes, the "up" is actually part of the word you need to type in. This is where solvers get tripped up and start doubting their own sanity. If the space is seven letters long, you might be looking at BOLSTER. While you don't say "bolster up" as often as "shore up," it fits the vibe. If it's six letters, it could be UPHOLD. In this case, the "up" moved from the end of the phrase to the front of the word. Crossword constructors like Will Shortz or Stanley Newman love this kind of bait-and-switch because it forces you to rethink the geometry of the English language.
Why "Up" Changes Everything
English is a nightmare language. We have these things called phrasal verbs where a verb plus a preposition creates a brand-new meaning. "To bear" means to carry. "To bear up" means to survive a tragedy. They aren't the same thing at all.
When a crossword constructor writes a clue, they are looking for that specific intersection of meaning. They want to see if you can make the mental leap from a physical action to a metaphorical one.
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Think about the word PROP. If the clue is "Support, with 'up'", and you have four letters, PROP is a heavy hitter. You prop up a sagging shelf. You prop up a failing economy. It’s literal and figurative.
The Nuances of Difficulty Levels
If you are playing the Monday NYT, the answer is going to be BACK or BEAR. It's straightforward. It's Friday? Now you're in trouble.
On a Friday or Saturday, a support with up crossword clue might not even be a verb. It might be part of a larger theme. Maybe the answer is BRACE. Or maybe it’s something even more obscure like BUOY. To "buoy up" someone’s spirits is a perfectly valid form of support.
I’ve seen grids where the answer was STAY. Most people don't use "stay up" to mean support anymore—unless you’re talking about a corset or an old-fashioned sailing mast—but crossword puzzles are essentially museums for dead words. They keep these meanings alive just to mess with you.
Looking at the Grid Geometry
Honestly, the best way to solve these is to stop looking at the clue and start looking at the "crosses." If you have the "B" from an across clue and the "R" from another, and you’re stuck on a four-letter word for support, you know it’s BEAR.
But what if you have nothing?
- Count the letters. (Always the first step, obviously).
- Check if the clue uses a preposition in quotes. If it says Support, with "up", the "up" is NOT in the grid.
- If it says Support up, the "up" might be part of the answer (like UPHOLD).
There is a subtle distinction there that most casual players miss. The punctuation in a crossword clue is never accidental. Commas, quotes, and question marks are the constructor's way of whispering hints to you—or laughing at you.
Beyond the Basics: Unusual Variations
Sometimes "support" doesn't mean help. Sometimes it means "to provide for."
In rare cases, I've seen the answer be KEEP. To "keep up" a certain lifestyle or to support a household. It’s a bit of a stretch, but in a 15x15 grid where the constructor is trying to fit a difficult "K" or "P," it happens.
Then there is the technical side. Architecture clues love this stuff. BUTTRESS is too long for most spots, but PIER or BASE might fit if the clue is worded slightly differently. However, those rarely use the "up" modifier. "Up" almost always signals a phrasal verb.
Real World Examples from Recent Puzzles
I went back and looked at some recent archives from the major syndicates.
In a Universal Crossword from last month, the clue was simply "Support, with 'up'" and the answer was SHORE.
In a LA Times puzzle from earlier this year, they went with PROP.
The New York Times had a clever one where the clue was "Support (up)" and the answer was BACK.
What’s interesting is how often these cycle. Crossword constructors use databases called "wordlists." These lists rank words by how easy they are to integrate into a grid. BEAR, BACK, and PROP are all high-value because they use common letters (A, E, R, P, B). You are going to see them over and over again.
Tips for Improving Your Solving Speed
If you want to stop getting stuck on the support with up crossword clue, you need to start thinking in terms of "Word + Up" combinations.
Basically, keep a mental list:
- BACK up
- BEAR up
- SHORE up
- PROP up
- BUOY up
- HOLD up
- GIRD up (a bit old school, but it happens)
When you see the clue, run through that list immediately. Don't even think about the word "support" anymore. Just think about what words pair with "up." It’s a shortcut that saves your brain a lot of processing power.
Also, pay attention to the tense. If the clue is "Supported, with 'up'", the answer needs to be BACKED or BORE (though "bore up" is rare, it's usually "borne up"). If the clue has an "-ing" ending, like "Supporting, with 'up'", then you’re looking for SHORING or PROPPING.
The Frustration of the Cryptic Crossword
If you’re doing a British-style cryptic crossword, all these rules go out the window. A cryptic clue for support with up crossword might look like this: "Support raised for a beverage (4)."
The answer? BEER.
Wait, why? Because "support" could be "RE" (regarding/about) and "up" means it's a vertical clue where a word like "REEB" (a support?) is flipped... actually, no, that's too complex. More likely: "Support" is BRACE. If it’s a "down" clue, "up" means to reverse the word.
Cryptics are a whole different beast. But for the standard American crossword, stick to the phrasal verb logic. It works 95% of the time.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Puzzle
Don't let a simple four-letter word ruin your streak. The next time you see a clue about supporting something "up," do this:
- Check the letter count immediately. If it's 4, start with BACK or BEAR.
- Look at the surrounding vowels. If you have an "O" in the second or third spot, it's almost certainly SHORE or PROP.
- Read the punctuation. Is "up" in quotes? If so, the answer is a verb that precedes it. If not, the answer might be a compound word like UPHOLD or UPDATE (though update is a stretch for "support").
- Consider the source. NYT clues are more likely to be metaphorical (BEAR), while Newsday or USA Today clues are usually more literal (PROP).
The reality is that crossword solving is less about being a walking dictionary and more about being a pattern recognition machine. You are training your brain to see "Support with up" and automatically think "BACK, BEAR, SHORE, PROP."
Once you internalize those four words, you’ve basically solved one of the most common hurdles in the game. You'll find that your "aha!" moments happen a lot faster, and you won't be reaching for the "reveal letter" button nearly as often.
Just remember: the "up" is your friend. It narrows down the thousands of possible synonyms for "support" into a tiny handful of usable phrases. Use that to your advantage.