bolster

[ bohl-ster ]

/ ˈboʊl stər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bolster ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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.

Nearby words

bolshie, bolshoi ballet, bolshoi theater, bolshy, bolson, bolster, bolt, bolt boat, bolt from (out of) the blue, bolt from the blue, a, bolt hole

Origin of bolster

before 1000; Middle English bolstre (noun), Old English bolster; cognate with Old Norse bolstr, Dutch bolster, German Polster

SYNONYMS FOR bolster

10 strengthen, sustain, aid, reinforce, fortify.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bolster ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsbol·ster·er, nounun·bol·ster, verb (used with object)un·bol·stered, adjective

Synonym study

1. See cushion.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bolstered

Many advocates want those changed, adjusted, or bolstered, and the only way to do that is to open up the bill and reauthorize it.
To GOP Congress, as Usual, It’s Welfare on the Chopping Block|Monica Potts|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bolstered by the momentum of Savage, Masters continued to accumulate up-and-coming conservative talent.
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And they were responsive, and that only bolstered my brainstorming sessions, so the next time I came in with more ideas.
Interview: Kristen Bell, Voiceover Queen, On ‘Frozen,’ ‘Veronica Mars,’ & More|Andrew Romano|December 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Traditional employment sectors like these have bolstered urban economies in Houston, Oklahoma City, Dallas-Ft.
The Revolt Against Urban Gentry|Joel Kotkin|November 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Perhaps it was bolstered by the drop-crotch revival of 2010.
NBA Players Are Wearing Sweatpants Again, but Now They Cost $550|Sujay Kumar|November 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The supposed ownership of a promising coal mine had bolstered up his shaky credit.
The Land of Strong Men|Arthur M. Chisholm
Now as Aunt Cheerful worked she began to sing, and the song was one that had often bolstered her waning courage before.
In the Heart of the Christmas Pines|Leona Dalrymple
So it is admitted that denominationalism is bolstered up with temporary shafting.
Birth of a Reformation|Andrew Byers
Others trimmed hedges and trees, put the lawn mower to their grass, bolstered up sagging fences, and rehung gates.
Janice Day|Helen Beecher Long
He was bolstered up in his bed, but the effort brought on a severe fit of coughing, and he was obliged to lie down again.
Forty Years in the Wilderness of Pills and Powders|William A. Alcott

British Dictionary definitions for bolstered

bolster

/ (ˈbəʊlstə) /

verb (tr)

(often foll by up) to support or reinforce; strengthento bolster morale

to prop up with a pillow or cushion

to add padding toto bolster a dress

noun

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

Derived Formsbolsterer, nounbolstering, 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bolstered (1 of 2)

bolster

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.)).

Word Origin and History for bolstered (1 of 2)

bolster

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.

bolster

noun

verb (used with object)

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Origin of bolster

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for bolstered

British Dictionary definitions for bolstered

bolster

verb (tr)

noun

Word Origin for bolster

Word Origin and History for bolstered (1 of 2)

bolster

Word Origin and History for bolstered (1 of 2)

bolster