holster
Americannoun
-
holsters
plural
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a sheathlike leather case for a pistol, attached to a belt or saddle
-
mountaineering a similar case for an ice axe or piton hammer
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of holster
1655–65; < Dutch; cognate with Gothic hulistr, Old Norse hulstr sheath; akin to Old English helan to hide
Explanation
The noun holster looks like holder and that's exactly what it is. Some holsters hold a single item, like a gun, and others are more like tool belts, holding many small items. The o in holster is long, so pronounce it like this: "HOLE-ster." Originally, the word described something very specific — a leather case for a pistol. It probably comes from the Old English word heolster (earlier helustr), which means "concealment, hiding place." Today, holsters may hide what they hold, but they always keep things handy.
Vocabulary lists containing holster
Ghost Boys
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"Just Lather, That's All" and "The Woman Who Was Death"
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Elijah of Buxton
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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:
He also carries a side-arm in a holster, for personal protection; these vans carry a lot of cash.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
On display here is a circa 1770 officer’s holster pistol, owned by Washington.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
The officer then calmly put his gun back in his holster and walked toward the car, which had crashed into another car down the street.
From Slate ● Jan. 7, 2026
It was Traoré who stole the show at the inauguration of Ghana's President John Mahama in January, when he arrived wearing battle fatigues with a pistol in his holster.
From BBC ● May 11, 2025
Around my waist was a belt and holster with a Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
The agents wore balaclavas partially covering their faces, he says, and some carried rifles while others had handguns in their holsters.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
Living in Oklahoma, I’m used to seeing crossed-gun Second Amendment bumper stickers on the backs of trucks and gun holsters displayed proudly on people’s waists.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2024
Sensors located in firearms and holsters would automatically switch on body-worn camera recorders when a firearm is removed from its holster.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2024
“The man, wearing two shoulder holsters with loaded pistols and spare ammunition magazines, was carrying a U.S. Marshal badge on a lanyard and belt clip federal ID,” Mr. Kennedy said.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 16, 2023
Jake holsters his gun and opens the door for his friend and quickly shuts it behind him.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
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.
