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"supporter" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often advocate (8 letters).
Definitions
a support for the genitals worn by men engaging in strenuous exercise
Word origin
From Middle English supporter, supportour, equivalent to support + -er.
Used in a sentence
“Linda Sanchez […] Strong supporter of intellectual property rights; consistently voted in favor of artists and songwriters on bills before the intellectual property subcommittee.”
“More than 10,000 supporters attended the last match.”
“On February 14, Mr. S. F. Sanders observed two trainloads of football supporters from Bolton which were conveyed to Luton by Nos. 45710, Irresistible, and 45712, Victory, respectively.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Fan or backer”9 letters
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