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Law vocabulary · Judgments, Appeals & Remedies

Uphold

Meaning in law, with examples

/ʌpˈhəʊld/verbCommon term

In law, uphold means: To confirm that an earlier decision was correct, especially when a higher court refuses to change a lower court's judgment; also to defend a principle.

In Turkish: onamak, onaylamak, yerinde bulmak, korumak

How it is used

Appeal courts uphold decisions, convictions and awards; the opposite is 'overturn' or 'reverse'. In a wider sense, institutions 'uphold the law' or 'uphold the rule of law'. The past form is 'upheld'.

Example sentences

  1. We expect the appeal court to uphold the original decision.

  2. Judges are expected to uphold the law without fear or favour.

Common collocations

  • uphold a decision
  • uphold an appeal
  • uphold the law
  • uphold the rule of law
  • overturnTo officially cancel or reverse a decision of a lower court, so that it no longer has any effect.
  • appealTo ask a higher court to review and change the decision of a lower court; also used as a noun for this request.
  • court of appealA court that reviews the decisions of lower courts when a party says the judge made a mistake, and can confirm, change or cancel those decisions.
  • judgmentThe final decision of a court in a case, together with the reasons the judge gives for it; also the written document that contains this decision.

More terms: Judgments, Appeals & Remedies

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.