upheld

Upheld is the past tense and past participle of uphold, a verb meaning to support, maintain, or defend something, or to confirm or sustain a decision in law. In legal contexts, to uphold a decision means to affirm it and leave the lower court's ruling in place; the opposite is to overturn or reverse the decision. For example, the appellate court upheld the verdict.

Etymology and usage: Uphold derives from up- plus hold, from Old English uphealdan. The form upheld appears in early modern English and remains in common use for both concrete actions and figurative meanings, such as upholding standards or commitments.

Beyond law, uphold can mean to support beliefs, values, or institutional norms, to maintain promises, or to sustain something in good condition. Common collocations include uphold the law, uphold a decision, uphold standards, and uphold rights.