upholstery
Americannoun
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the materials used to cushion and cover furniture.
-
the business of an upholsterer.
noun
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the padding, covering, etc, of a piece of furniture
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the business, work, or craft of upholstering
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of upholstery
First recorded in 1640–50; upholster(er) + -y 3
Explanation
Upholstery refers to the covering on furniture. Without upholstery, your couch wouldn't be very comfortable. This is a word specific to furniture, especially the chairs and couches found in most living rooms. Upholstery consists of the material — including springs, padding, and fabric — that cover the bare bones of the furniture you sit on. If you have ever spilled a drink on a couch, someone might have yelled, "Watch out! You'll stain the upholstery!" People who put the upholstery on furniture are called upholsterers.
Vocabulary lists containing upholstery
"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury
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After the Shot Drops
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The Red Pyramid
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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.
Repairing tears in dining room chairs is simple if your upholstered seats are removable, says Henryk Wrozynski of Queen Anne Upholstery & Refinishing.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2024
Upholstery endures, and Facebook is where Fletcher is the admin of the 3,300-strong Professional Upholsterer’s Network, where virtually everyone agrees they have never seen anything like this.
From Slate • Oct. 15, 2021
He thrifts most of his fabrics, often using curtains, tablecloths and other unexpected materials: Upholstery fabric with safari animals became a cropped jacket and a Carhartt denim coat was transformed into a chain bag.
From New York Times • Dec. 9, 2020
When he was twenty-one, he opened his own shop and called it Third Man Upholstery, because he was the third upholsterer on the block.
From The New Yorker • Mar. 5, 2017
Upholstery was also used, and day-beds and high-boys made their appearance.
From Furnishing the Home of Good Taste A Brief Sketch of the Period Styles in Interior Decoration with Suggestions as to Their Employment in the Homes of Today by Throop, Lucy Abbot
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.
