bolster

[ bohl-ster ]

/ ˈboʊl stər /

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See synonyms for: bolster / bolstered / bolstering 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, strengthen, or uphold (sometimes followed by up): They bolstered their morale by singing. He bolstered up his claim with new evidence.

OTHER WORDS FOR bolster

10 strengthen, sustain, aid, reinforce, fortify.

See synonyms for bolster on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of bolster

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

synonym study for bolster

1. See cushion.

OTHER WORDS FROM bolster

bol·ster·er, nounun·bol·ster, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bolster in a sentence

Corporations are bolstering profits by underpaying workers at the very bottom.
Finally, Home Care Workers Start Fighting Back|Monica Potts|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These are groups that take advantage,” he said, making it clear they are “bolstering the neo-Nazi right.
Italy Suddenly Gets Ugly for Jews|Barbie Latza Nadeau|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Is it regime change or bolstering a political process in Geneva?
Will Arming Syrian Rebels Lead to Disaster?|Bruce Riedel|June 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Both Bachmann and Pawlenty should have to answer for bolstering that respectability.
Bachmann and Pawlenty's Ponzi Pal|Michelle Goldberg|April 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST

In the Episcopal church a nurse is bolstering up a wounded officer in the area behind the altar.
The Boys of '61|Charles Carleton Coffin.
This, Braceway knew, was why she had advanced him money, bolstering up one mistake with another.
The Winning Clue|James Hay, Jr.
She was asking Petrarch to do her an inestimable service by bolstering up her third-rate university.
Giovanni Boccaccio, a Biographical Study|Edward Hutton
But the Noelites were far too vitiated in taste to be long content with mere bolstering or harmless games.
St. Winifred's|Frederic W. Farrar
"At present she's bolstering up two or three dozen people who are only received on the strength of her name," Oakleigh replied.
Lady Lilith|Stephen McKenna

British Dictionary definitions for bolster

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 forms of bolster

bolsterer, 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

bolster

OTHER WORDS FOR bolster

Origin of bolster

synonym study for bolster

OTHER WORDS FROM bolster

Words related to bolster

How to use bolster in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bolster

Derived forms of bolster

Word Origin for bolster