bolster
Americannoun
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bolsters
plural
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a long, often cylindrical, cushion or pillow for a bed, sofa, etc.
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anything resembling this in form or in use as a support.
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any pillow, cushion, or pad.
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Nautical.
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Also called bolster plate. a circular casting on the side of a vessel, through which an anchor chain passes.
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a timber used as a temporary support.
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a beam for holding lines or rigging without chafing.
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a bag filled with buoyant material, fitted into a small boat.
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Metalworking. an anvillike support for the lower die of a drop forge.
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Masonry.
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a timber or the like connecting two ribs of a centering.
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a chisel with a blade splayed toward the edge, used for cutting bricks.
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Carpentry. a horizontal timber on a post for lessening the free span of a beam.
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a structural member on which one end of a bridge truss rests.
verb (used with object)
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bolsters,
present (3rd person singular)
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bolstered,
past participle, past
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bolstering
present participle
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to support with or as with a pillow or cushion.
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to add to, support, strengthen, or uphold (sometimes followed byup ).
They bolstered their morale by singing.
He bolstered up his claim with new evidence.
- Synonyms:
- fortify, reinforce, aid, sustain, strengthen
verb
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(often foll by up) to support or reinforce; strengthen
to bolster morale
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to prop up with a pillow or cushion
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to add padding to
to bolster a dress
noun
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a long narrow pillow or cushion
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any pad or padded support
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architect a short horizontal length of timber fixed to the top of a post to increase the bearing area and reduce the span of the supported beam
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a cold chisel having a broad blade splayed towards the cutting edge, used for cutting stone slabs, etc
Synonym Usage
See cushion.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bolstersimple
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bolsterssimple
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have bolsteredperfect
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has bolsteredperfect
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am bolsteringprogressive
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are bolsteringprogressive
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is bolsteringprogressive
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have been bolsteringperfect progressive
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has been bolsteringperfect progressive
Past
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bolsteredsimple
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had bolsteredperfect
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was bolsteringprogressive
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were bolsteringprogressive
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had been bolsteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bolster
First recorded before 1000; Middle English bolstre (noun), Old English bolster; cognate with Old Norse bolstr, Dutch bolster, German Polster
Explanation
When you cheer up a friend who's feeling down, you bolster them. To bolster is to offer support or strengthen. A bolster is also the name of a long pillow you might use to make your back feel better. And the two uses are not dissimilar. When you bolster your friends, you support them and prop them up, just like the pillow does for your back. When you're trying to bolster your credibility, you find people and/or documents that support you or your view. Bolster efforts to learn this word!
Vocabulary lists containing bolster
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "B" & "C"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Treasury yields fell ahead of September’s U.S. jobs report, which is expected to bolster the case for a slower pace of monetary tightening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
It "will bolster market expectations for firmer monetary policy from the Federal Reserve as it seeks to ensure inflation is tamped out," he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
This dollar weakness would also cheapen foreign-exchange hedging costs, they believed, allowing foreign investors concerned about the U.S. dollar’s long-run status to bolster their foreign-exchange hedges, which in turn would amplify the buck’s weakness.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
She pushed to include the WGA and to bolster Paramount’s commitment to the WGA’s health and pension fund.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
I pulled her up and picked up the bolster from the floor and used it to support her back.
From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata
“The market has ample capacity to price hikes well beyond what economic fundamentals would justify for a modal expectation, which only further bolsters the greenback,” said Morgan Stanley.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
In an earnings call in May, he said that ownership bolsters the facilities’ protection from “unwarranted litigation” around medical care and other detention conditions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
They also used footage to piece together Mangione's alleged movements after the shooting, and ballistics and fingerprint evidence they claim bolsters their case.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The way everyone responded to this error—by turning a simple mistake into a ritual flogging—only bolsters the toxic notion that the press is forever viciously intruding on the secret, sacred work of perfect jurists.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
He had broken his back, someone said, but there was nothing anyone could do, and now men were stepping over him with their blankets and bolsters, and others were jostling to go up.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
In the restaurant industry, “opportunity for success is bolstered by having more population,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
This has been bolstered by the nation-building legend of Harald Bluetooth.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
East Lothian Council leader Norman Hampshire said his administration supported the current structure of 32 local authorities bolstered by regional partnerships in priorities such as economic development and transport.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
In foreign exchange markets, the Japanese yen continued to gain ground against the dollar, bolstered by expectations of faster interest-rate increases by the Bank of Japan and the potential for investment inflows into Japanese assets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
The idea of sleeping in the near open bolstered my sense of freedom.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Brian Atlas of the “Whatever” podcast posted a video of the alleged victim drinking with Peters, as if it were exonerating evidence instead of bolstering the criminal case against him.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
“Instead of supporting and bolstering her as a creative in their midst, she became their salon host,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Now the prediction market is bolstering its executive ranks as it eyes an IPO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Companies have even committed to building their own power plants, bolstering demand in the "picks and shovels" sectors like construction and logistics.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
The swelling music, the soft hoodie, the linked arms bolstering me.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
