holster

American  

[hohl-ster] / ˈhoʊl stər /

noun

1. a sheathlike carrying case for a firearm, attached to a belt, shoulder sling, or saddle.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put or put back in a holster.

   to holster a gun.

holster British  

/ ˈhəʊlstə /

noun

1. a sheathlike leather case for a pistol, attached to a belt or saddle

2. mountaineering a similar case for an ice axe or piton hammer

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Other Word Forms

• holstered adjective

Etymology

Origin of holster

1655–65; < Dutch; cognate with Gothic hulistr, Old Norse hulstr sheath; akin to Old English helan to hide

Example Sentences

The masked assailant’s gun holster, slung between his legs, is what law enforcement terms a universal fit holster and is ill-fitted for a much larger gun.

From Los Angeles Times

He's a 16-year veteran of the war on drugs, standing ram rod straight, with a handgun in a holster around his neck - and with no illusions.

From BBC

The agents wore balaclavas partially covering their faces, he says, and some carried rifles while others had handguns in their holsters.

From BBC

As for Cassiopeia, she had knitted a collection of eye patches for playing at pirates, and a holster to fit a toy dagger that Beowulf had gnawed for her out of a fallen tree branch.

From Literature

Anyway, he carried a pistol in a holster and slept beside a torpedo that, for reasons they could only guess, had its tip painted purple.

From Literature