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:
Joining forces with Cloudera will bolster Mistral’s exposure to clients across regulated industries as enterprises seek increasingly capable AI models to streamline their operations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Cooper Cos. stock has fallen about 25% since Barron’s recommended it, but a low valuation, aggressive share buybacks, and takeover potential bolster the bull case.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Rubio visits Quito as the second stop on a three-nation tour designed to shore up conservative allies in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and bolster US influence across the continent.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
And to ensure not losing more talent, it has needed to bolster prize funds and restructure its future path by creating a for-profit business model.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Cahokia’s rulers tried to bolster their position by building even bigger houses and flaunting even more luxury goods like fancy pottery and jewelry made from exotic semiprecious stones.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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
The Supreme Court ruling bolsters the central bank’s independence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Her tail hung over the arm bolsters, dripping.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Equity markets across the Asia-Pacific region gained, bolstered by signs of U.S. economic resilience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
The company has bolstered the memory capacity on its devices to support these capabilities — simultaneously heightening its supply-chain cost pressures.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
Imports rose 2.8 percent to $399.3 billion, bolstered by computers, computer accessories and semiconductors.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
It gives City a net spend of £208m in 2026, which will be further bolstered by Tottenham's obligation to buy Omar Marmoush for £60m at the end of his loan spell next season.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Furthermore, she said that the Fifteenth Amendment bolstered her case.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
According to officials and media reports, the two countries are contemplating bolstering people-to-people ties and allowing Chinese and Indian journalists to resume reporting from each other’s countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal, which seeks $1.5 trillion in defense spending, also calls for bolstering American drone production.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Oil prices rose in Asian trade Monday amid growing doubts that the Strait of Hormuz can reopen soon, bolstering concerns over supply disruptions in the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The Dodgers swing a deal for Detroit Tigers ace left-hander Tarik Skubal ahead of the trade deadline, bolstering their hopes for a third straight World Series title.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Katherine’s mother moved to Morgantown to room with her daughter, bolstering her strength and confidence during her first days at the white school.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
