Definition of self-supportnext
as in independence
the ability to care for one's self hopes to achieve full self-support within a year of graduating from college

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of self-support Garmire has been setting FKTs for more than a decade, with career highlights including unsupported or self-supported records on the John Muir Trail in California, Vermont’s Long Trail, the Colorado Trail, the Wonderland Trail in Washington, and the Arizona Trail. Outside, 26 Sep. 2025 In one show of self-support, the supplies store that many of the RAD’s artists used — Cheap Joe’s — has been taken over, renamed and reopened by a new couple, Philip and Tina DeAngelo, who already owned a studio in the RAD. Charlotte Observer, 18 Sep. 2025 And for the public, keep it to low-risk self-support — journaling prompts, CBT-style reflections and light coaching — wrapped in clear disclaimers and with instant handoffs to a human whenever risk appears. John Samuels, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025 But the idea of hiking the PCT self-supported has been percolating for about five years. Emily Lapointe, Outside Online, 1 May 2025 Since the self-support era, Tokyo has introduced at least one new plan a decade to improve rural development. Fritz Schumann, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2015
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-support
Noun
  • Cyprus was split along ethnic lines in 1974, and Turkish Cypriots declared independence in 1983.
    Andrew Wilks, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Lewis admitted that the experience has impacted not only her independence but her confidence as well.
    Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Bareilles is mourning a few things — the deaths of close friends, dreams of easy fertility, assumptions of female autonomy, the American dream — but the music soars, more often than not.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Historically, the United States has sent mixed messages to Europeans, encouraging them to step up but then scolding them for seeking autonomy.
    JENNIFER KAVANAGH, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • China’s chip self-sufficiency rate reached roughly 70% by production volume in June, compared with 38% in January 2010, according to Goldman.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Their goals are to improve the well being of children while promoting family unification, and to assist families to achieve economic and social self-sufficiency.
    News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Self-support.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-support. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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