Synonyms Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for bolster on Thesaurus.com a long, often cylindrical, cushion or pillow for a bed, sofa, etc. anything resembling this in form or in use as a support. any pillow, cushion, or pad. Nautical Also called bolster plate . a circular casting on the side of a vessel, through which an anchor chain passes. a timber used as a temporary support. a beam for holding lines or rigging without chafing. a bag filled with buoyant material, fitted into a small boat. Metalworking an anvillike support for the lower die of a drop forge. Masonry a timber or the like connecting two ribs of a centering. a chisel with a blade splayed toward the edge, used for cutting bricks. Carpentry a horizontal timber on a post for lessening the free span of a beam. a structural member on which one end of a bridge truss rests. Show More
to support with or as with a pillow or cushion. to add to, support, or uphold (sometimes followed by up ): They bolstered their morale by singing. He bolstered up his claim with new evidence. Show More
Origin of bolster before 1000; Middle English bolstre (noun), Old English bolster; cognate with Old Norse bolstr, Dutch bolster, German Polster
Related forms bol·ster·er , noun un·bol·ster , verb (used with object) un·bol·stered , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for bolster help ,
buttress ,
strengthen ,
support ,
cushion ,
reinforce ,
maintain ,
sustain ,
aid ,
boost ,
buoy ,
uphold ,
bulwark ,
assist ,
stay ,
carry ,
prop ,
brace ,
pillow Examples from the Web for bolster Contemporary Examples of bolster To bolster my case I told him we should actually call it Pursuito, like Vertigo or Psycho.
Low-income work was a necessity, either to make up for the absence of a man or to bolster his own low-income paycheck.
Critics also argue the military assistance may be coming too late to bolster mainstream rebels.
“This reduces a potential drag to the economy and will bolster growth for the remainder of 2014,” Handler notes.
Having a major movie backing up the program can only bolster its relationship with MLB.
Historical Examples of bolster But I will not attempt to bolster my position with authorities.
Spread it with the jam, and roll up in the form of a bolster .
Presently, however, she came back with a dry pillow and bolster for him.
Some days Sanjib Babu would be there reclining on his bolster .
The answer was perfectly clear, but there were even more facts to bolster it.
British Dictionary definitions for bolster (often foll by up) to support or reinforce; strengthen to bolster morale to prop up with a pillow or cushion to add padding to to bolster a dress Show More
a long narrow pillow or cushion any pad or padded support 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 a cold chisel having a broad blade splayed towards the cutting edge, used for cutting stone slabs, etc Show More
Derived Forms bolsterer , noun bolstering , noun , adjective Word Origin for bolster Old English bolster ; related to Old Norse bolstr , Old High German bolstar , Dutch bulster
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for bolster n. Old English bolster "bolster, cushion, something stuffed so that it swells up," especially "long, stuffed pillow," from Proto-Germanic *bolkhstraz (cf. Old Norse bolstr , Danish, Swedish, Dutch bolster , German polster ), from PIE *bhelgh- "to swell" (see belly (n.)).
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v. mid-15c. (implied in bolstered ), "propped up, made to bulge" (originally of a woman's breasts), from bolster (n.). Figurative sense is from c.1500, on the notion of "to support with a bolster, prop up." Related: Bolstering .
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
