What does "supporter" mean?
A person who gives support to someone or something.; A person who supports, promotes, advocates or champions a cause, movement, or political party; an adherent.
Supporter
/səˈpɔː.tə/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who gives support to someone or something.; A person who supports, promotes, advocates or champions a cause, movement, or political party; an adherent.
- Grammar: supporter is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: admirer, booster, patron, sponsor.
- Useful contrasts: revolutionary thinker, the opposition, adversaries.
- Usage evidence: He has a wealthy supporter behind him.
How to use "supporter"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "supporter" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "supporter" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "supporter" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "supporter" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "supporter" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "admirer" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "supporter", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who gives support to someone or something.; A person who supports, promotes, advocates or champions a cause, movement, or political party; an adherent.
"During the latter part of the rebellion, he has pretended to be a warm supporter of the Government, and he may have been sincere; but, from what others have told me, he said to them he was not during the early part of the rebellion."
- 2 a support for the genitals worn by men engaging in strenuous exercise wordnet
- 3 A person who gives support to someone or something.; A person who provides moral or physical support to another; an attendant participating in a ceremony or procession.
"The Inthronization. The King ascended the Theatre, accompanied by the two Bishops his Supporters, the Great Officers of State, the Lords carrying the Swords, and the Lords who had borne Their Majesties' Regalia, and was Inthroned by the Archbishops, Bishops, and the other Peers, who then stood about the steps of the Throne."
- 4 a band (usually elastic) worn around the leg to hold up a stocking (or around the arm to hold up a sleeve) wordnet
- 5 A person who gives support to someone or something.; Someone who is a fan of a certain sports team or sportsperson.
"More than 10,000 supporters attended the last match."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose wordnet
- 7 Something that supports another thing.
"Combustibility, then, is not a quality of the combustible, taken by itself. It is merely a faculty which may be brought into action through the instrumentality of a corresponding faculty in some other body. It is, in the case now before us, the union of the combustible with oxygen, and which, for this reason, is called the "supporter"; neither of which, however, when taken alone, can be consumed. To effect combustion, then, we must have a combustible and a supporter of combustion."
- 8 someone who supports or champions something wordnet
- 9 Something that supports another thing.; Something that supports a structure such as a building or a sculpture.
"Plane surfaces predominate in this factory. The glass and iron walls are joined cleanly at the corners without the intervention of piers[…]. [Peter] Behrens bounded the glass walls of his famous Turbine Hall right and left with monumental cyclopean walls. These have disappeared with [Walter] Gropius. His walls show that they are no longer supporters of the building, but simple curtains, protection against inclement weather, as Gropius put it."
- 10 a person who backs a politician or a team etc. wordnet
- 11 Something that supports another thing.; An animal or figure that supports a shield in a coat of arms.
"[…] I am fully perſuaded that there cannot remain a doubt of the uſe of ſupporters having originated from the fancy of ſeal-engravers. Supporters were likewiſe anciently uſed by divers perſons in private life, as appears by their ſeals, who had offices of high dignity in the ſtate, and more eſpecially by thoſe whoſe employments had the title of Lord prefixed to the ſtile; as Lord Deputy of Ireland, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Lord Preſident of the Council, Lord of the Marches of Wales, Lord Warden of the Stanneries, &c."
- 12 Something that supports another thing.; A garter worn around the leg to support a sock or stocking.
"From the radiator, where he was attaching supporters to his socks, Zooey glanced up at her."
- 13 Something that supports another thing.; Clipping of athletic supporter. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
Antonyms
Example
"He has a wealthy supporter behind him."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "supporter"?
Common synonyms include: admirer, booster, patron, sponsor, abetter, abettor.
How do you use "supporter" in a sentence?
He has a wealthy supporter behind him.
How do you pronounce "supporter"?
Pronounced /səˈpɔː.tə/.
Etymology
From Middle English supporter, supportour, equivalent to support + -er.