upholster
Americanverb (used with object)
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to provide (chairs, sofas, etc.) with coverings, cushions, stuffing, springs, etc.
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to furnish (an interior) with hangings, curtains, carpets, or the like.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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upholstersimple
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upholsterssimple
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have upholsteredperfect
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has upholsteredperfect
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am upholsteringprogressive
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are upholsteringprogressive
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is upholsteringprogressive
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have been upholsteringperfect progressive
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has been upholsteringperfect progressive
Past
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upholsteredsimple
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had upholsteredperfect
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was upholsteringprogressive
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were upholsteringprogressive
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had been upholsteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of upholster
1850–55, back formation from upholsterer
Explanation
To upholster is to cover a piece of furniture with fabric and soft padding. If your brother's cat scratches up your sofa, you may want to upholster it — but it's probably wise to wait until your brother and Mr. Whiskers move out. Upholstery is everything that covers your couches, love seats, and soft chairs, from the springs to the velvet cushions. The act of making these furniture coverings is also upholstery, and when you do it, you upholster. The word for the expert who specializes in this, upholsterer, came first, from the Middle English upholden, "to repair."
Vocabulary lists containing upholster
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
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The Night Circus
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The Night Diary
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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.
It seems unfathomable that the German will not want to upholster his defence and attack, too, though.
From BBC • Jan. 6, 2026
When Mathis fell in love with the Southwest design of a rug, he used the fabric to upholster an armchair in his sitting room.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 13, 2024
People in novels can and should be able to upholster their realities with art and films from this one.
From New York Times • Apr. 23, 2021
Why, in other words, should people believe elephants are in peril when you can legally upholster your car with their hides?
From National Geographic • Dec. 20, 2017
For even if Tish had decided on a walking tour I couldn't imagine what an upholsterer's needle had to do with it, unless she meant to upholster the donkey.
From More Tish by Rinehart, Mary Roberts
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.
