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 bolstered help ,
buttress ,
strengthen ,
support ,
cushion ,
reinforce ,
maintain ,
sustain ,
aid ,
boost ,
buoy ,
uphold ,
bulwark ,
assist ,
stay ,
carry ,
prop ,
brace ,
pillow Examples from the Web for bolstered Contemporary Examples of 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.
Bolstered by the momentum of Savage, Masters continued to accumulate up-and-coming conservative talent.
And they were responsive, and that only bolstered my brainstorming sessions, so the next time I came in with more ideas.
Traditional employment sectors like these have bolstered urban economies in Houston, Oklahoma City, Dallas-Ft.
Perhaps it was bolstered by the drop-crotch revival of 2010.
Historical Examples of bolstered They gently raised him, bolstered him with pillows, and told him he had long been ill.
He was no aristocrat, propped and bolstered by grand relatives.
Then she wanted to sit on the divan and she bolstered me up with pillows.
Bolstered for the moment by this resolve, she threw back her head and raised her eyes.
His pride was bolstered up, his blood ran once more in pride.
British Dictionary definitions for bolstered (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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for bolstered 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
