stötta

Stötta is a Swedish verb meaning to support, back, or prop up someone or something. It covers both tangible forms of support, such as holding up a structure or supplying material aid, and intangible forms, such as offering help, encouragement, or advocacy. In everyday language, stötta is used when describing backing another person, a team, a project, or an idea, as well as when describing the act of reinforcing or stabilizing something physically.

In social and professional contexts, stötta can imply emotional support (att stötta en vän), financial or practical assistance, or endorsement (att stötta ett förslag). In a physical sense, it can refer to propping up a wall, pillar, or other load-bearing element (att stötta upp något). The phrase stötta upp is common for describing the act of reinforcing or buttressing a structure or situation.

The word has cognates in other Nordic languages, such as Norwegian støtte and Danish støtte, reflecting a common Germanic root related to support. The related noun stöd means support or backing, and adjectives like stöttande describe a supportive attitude or environment.

Past and compound forms follow standard Swedish verb patterns. The typical past tense is stöttade, and the supine is stöttat. Note that stötta can be confused with stöta, a separate verb meaning to push or bump, which has a different meaning and set of forms.

Stötta is widely used across registers, from informal conversation to formal writing, and remains a common way to express backing, assistance, and stabilization in Swedish.