upholdverb [ T ] uk ​ /ʌpˈhəʊld/ us ​ upheld, upheld LAW. › to state that a decision which has already been made, especially a legal one, is correct: uphold a decision/ruling/appeal The court is said to be upholding its decision. › to keep or defend a principle or law: When he took office he swore to uphold the laws of the land. The decision by the court upholds the right of rural Alaskans to subsistence hunt and fish on most waters in Alaska.