Moral support

Moral support is a way of giving support to a person or cause, or to one side in a conflict, without making any contribution beyond the emotional or psychological value of the encouragement.

For example, in a war between two countries or alliances, a third nation may give moral support to one side, without actually participating in the conflict (for example, Paraguay in World War 2).

Another common example can be found in sports. By coming out to watch your friend's team play a match, you are likely not directly supporting his team in any significant way (especially if there is no charge to attend), but your friend may still feel encouraged by the moral support of your presence.

The line between moral support and other forms of help is often hard to draw. For example, athletes are known to play better when the spectators encourage them--and in some cases referees' decisions may be influenced by a partisan crowd.