upholstery

American  

[uhp-hohl-stuh-ree, -stree, uh-pohl-] / ʌpˈhoʊl stə ri, -stri, əˈpoʊl- /

noun

• upholsteries
  plural

1. the materials used to cushion and cover furniture.

2. the business of an upholsterer.

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upholstery British  

/ ʌpˈhəʊlstərɪ /

noun

1. the padding, covering, etc, of a piece of furniture

2. the business, work, or craft of upholstering

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reupholstery
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• upholsteries
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

upholstery upholsteries

Nearly all of the work was done in-house, including fabrication and a handmade interior produced through Vera’s own upholstery department, reflecting an emphasis on craftsmanship and historical continuity rather than cosmetic overhaul.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026

The residential market has been dominated for years by cream-colored upholstery, but retailers are now asking for more vibrant colors and patterns—a time-tested signal, she said, that more optimistic days are ahead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

Jenner chose a similar shade for the upholstery in her home theater, revealing two rows of brown velvet chairs that she described as “yummy” in her caption.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 30, 2025

The Sport Prestige’s alpha-swagger is the intricately quilted Nappa leather upholstery, its puzzlework of seams outlined with contrasting piping and double stitching—an orange the company calls “Magma” but you may know better as “DOT Vest.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025

The chair fell to the floor in a ruined tangle of timber and upholstery.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Textured fabrics and upholsteries in calming, neutral tones complement sleek, dark wood furniture and brushed stainless steel hardware throughout.

From Time Magazine Archive

There are no fussy woods or sensitive upholsteries.

From Time Magazine Archive

And it must be owned the light, in this explosion of all the upholsteries and the human fine arts and coarse, was magical; and made your fair one an Armida—if you liked her better so.

From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol IV. No. XX. January, 1852. by Various

Well, rejoice in your upholsteries and cookeries if so be they will make you "happy."

From The Map of Life Conduct and Character by William Edward Hartpole Lecky

Nevertheless, the big chair with the red silk upholsteries in which the countess sat had attracted his attention.

From Four Short Stories By Emile Zola by Émile Zola