bolster

[ bohl-ster ]

noun

1. a long, often cylindrical, cushion or pillow for a bed, sofa, etc.
2. anything resembling this in form or in use as a support.
3. any pillow, cushion, or pad.
4. Nautical.
   1. Also called bolster plate. a circular casting on the side of a vessel, through which an anchor chain passes.
   2. a timber used as a temporary support.
   3. a beam for holding lines or rigging without chafing.
   4. a bag filled with buoyant material, fitted into a small boat.
5. Metalworking. an anvillike support for the lower die of a drop forge.
6. Masonry.
   1. a timber or the like connecting two ribs of a centering.
   2. a chisel with a blade splayed toward the edge, used for cutting bricks.
7. Carpentry. a horizontal timber on a post for lessening the free span of a beam.
8. a structural member on which one end of a bridge truss rests.

verb (used with object)

1. to support with or as with a pillow or cushion.
2. to add to, support, strengthen, or uphold (sometimes followed by up ):

   They bolstered their morale by singing.

   He bolstered up his claim with new evidence.

   Synonyms: fortify, reinforce, aid, sustain, strengthen

bolster

/ ˈbəʊlstə /

verb

1. often foll by up to support or reinforce; strengthen

   to bolster morale

2. to prop up with a pillow or cushion
3. to add padding to

   to bolster a dress

noun

1. a long narrow pillow or cushion
2. any pad or padded support
3. architect a short horizontal length of timber fixed to the top of a post to increase the bearing area and reduce the span of the supported beam
4. a cold chisel having a broad blade splayed towards the cutting edge, used for cutting stone slabs, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈbolstering, nounadjective
• ˈbolsterer, noun

Other Words From

• bol·ster·er noun
• un·bol·ster verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of bolster¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bolstre (noun), Old English bolster; cognate with Old Norse bolstr, Dutch bolster, German Polster

Word History and Origins

Origin of bolster¹

Old English bolster ; related to Old Norse bolstr , Old High German bolstar , Dutch bulster

Synonym Study

See cushion.

Example Sentences

The initiative — drafted by renters’ rights groups, homeless service providers, affordable housing nonprofits and labor unions — was designed to bolster social housing across the city, allocating 22.5% of its funding to “alternative housing models” in which “residents shall have the right to participate directly and meaningfully in decision-making concerning the operation and management of the project.”

From Los Angeles Times

The provision of anti-personnel land mines is the latest move by the outgoing US administration to bolster Ukraine's war effort before Donald Trump returns to the White House on 20 January.

From BBC

An investigation of a chemical leak that killed six workers at a Georgia poultry plant in 2021 served as an early test case of how granting protections to workers could help bolster the collection of evidence and testimony, said Jessie Hahn, senior counsel for labor and employment policy at the National Immigration Law Center.

From Los Angeles Times

The findings could bolster First Nations tribes’ legal claims to their traditional lands.

From Science Magazine

Moscow has been recruiting at least 20,000 new soldiers a month to help bolster its war effort, with more than 1,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded on average daily, according to Nato and military officials in the West.

From BBC

Related Words

• aid
• boost
• buoy
• buttress
• cushion
• help
• maintain
• reinforce
• shore up
• strengthen
• support
• sustain