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upholster

[uhp-hohl-ster, uh-pohl-]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to provide (chairs, sofas, etc.) with coverings, cushions, stuffing, springs, etc.
  2. to furnish (an interior) with hangings, curtains, carpets, or the like.
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Origin of upholster

1850–55, Americanism; back formation from upholsterer
Related formsre·up·hol·ster, verb (used with object)un·up·hol·stered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

drapestuffpadcushion

Examples from the Web for upholstered

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The furniture of the office was some old Empire stuff, upholstered in red velvet.

    Fruitfulness

    Emile Zola

  • She was not a mass of material gorgeously furnished and upholstered.

  • This may or may not be upholstered, dependent on the character of the material of which it is made.

  • Carpets, hangings and upholstered furniture must be removed.

    The Mother and Her Child

    William S. Sadler

  • Wynn and Hogan sat facing each other on upholstered benches.

British Dictionary definitions for upholstered

upholster

verb
  1. (tr) to fit (chairs, sofas, etc) with padding, springs, webbing, and covering
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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 upholstered

upholster

v.

1853, back-formation from upholsterer "tradesman who finishes or repairs articles of furniture" (1610s), from upholdester (early 15c.), formed with a diminutive (originally fem.) suffix, from obsolete Middle English noun upholder "dealer in small goods" (early 14c.), from upholden "to repair, uphold, keep from falling or sinking" (in this case, by stuffing); see uphold.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper