bolster

noun bol·ster \ ˈbōl-stər \

Definition of bolster

1 :a long pillow or cushion

2 :a structural part designed to eliminate friction or provide support or bearing (see bearing 5)

See bolster defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of bolster from the Web

The seats are firm in their appealing leatherette upholstery, but stiff side and seat-bottom bolsters have almost too much support (although ideal for the SQ5).

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Audi Q5 2.0T quattro S tronic," 14 July 2017
The seats themselves are extremely good, electrically adjustable every which-way and capable of hugging you tight with the massive side bolsters.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "If Ferrari built an M3: The 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio," 26 June 2017
Plus, a survey by the National Sleep Foundation found that people who make their bed every morning sleep better, so why not make the chore even easier by ditching some bolsters. 4.

— beth shapouri, Good Housekeeping, "9 Little Things Around the House That Are Totally Stressing You Out," 9 June 2017
Plus, a survey by the National Sleep Foundation found that people who make their bed every morning sleep better, so why not make the chore even easier by ditching some bolsters.

— beth shapouri, Good Housekeeping, "9 Little Things Around the House That Are Totally Stressing You Out," 9 June 2017
Firm front seats were adequate for around town, while the generous side bolsters were comforting in sharp turns.

— star-telegram, star-telegram.com, "Kia Sportage compact crossover updatedfor 2017, with upgrades, roomier interior," 3 June 2017
The seams between bolsters can trap all kinds of tiny grotesqueries.

— blake z. rong, Esquire, "5 Easy Ways to Get Pet Smells Out of Your Car," 11 May 2017
In the living room, for instance, the floral bolsters on the silver love seats perfectly balance the liveliest hues in the large abstract painting by Peter Fowler.

— lisa cregan, House Beautiful, "Pink Is About to Become Your Favorite Color Again," 31 Aug. 2016
Queen beds can easily hold two queen pillows and two queen shams, plus two to three accent pillows or a single bolster.

— carla jordan, ELLE Decor, "Bedding 101," 10 Nov. 2008

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bolster.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bolster

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old English belg bag — more at belly

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

bolster

verb

Definition of bolster

bolstered; bolstering play \-st(ə-)riŋ\

transitive verb

1 :to support with or as if with a bolster :reinforce

lay bolstered up in bed

extra men will bolster already augmented dock details
—Stanley Levey

2 :to give a boost to

news that bolstered his spirits

—

bolsterer

play \-stər-ər\ noun

See bolster defined for English-language learners

Examples of bolster in a Sentence

She came with me to bolster my confidence.
a convincing argument that was bolstered by the speaker's reputation
She is thinking of ways to bolster her career.

Recent Examples of bolster from the Web

Angola, which depends on crude shipments for 97 percent of its exports, joined fellow OPEC members nine months ago in curbing output in a bid to bolster prices.

— henrique almeida, Bloomberg.com, "Angola Oil Minister Says Nation Needs Crude to Rebound to $60," 30 Aug. 2017
Returning to bolster the Guards are junior outside hitters Dalila Rincan and Madison Gibson.

— jeff tully, Burbank Leader, "Girls’ Volleyball Preview: Providence hoping for continued success," 24 Aug. 2017
Walmart, which bought Jet.com last year to bolster its own e-commerce efforts, still lags far behind Amazon in inventory.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Jeff Bezos’s Rivals Are Teaming Up to Take on Amazon," 23 Aug. 2017
President Trump was preaching unity: On Fox News, Tucker Carlson tried to bolster the president’s case:

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Republicans Split After Trump Again Blames ‘Both Sides’ in Charlottesville," 16 Aug. 2017
The 2017 edition of the Western & Southern, already one of the biggest events on the worldwide tennis calendar, will be bolstered this year by plentiful on-court storylines and off-court improvements to the venue's infrastructure.

— patrick brennan, Cincinnati.com, "Infrastructure, storylines should make for enjoyable 2017 W&S Open," 12 Aug. 2017
Mueller had previously supplied snippets of the two-hour recording to his attorneys to bolster his claim.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Everything You Need to Know About the Taylor Swift Assault Trial," 9 Aug. 2017
Then, in late November, right-wing news website breitbart.com published an article alleging that the Earth is cooling, not warming, and used a portion of a video Pacific Ocean temperatures are cooler than average to bolster its claims.

— ben adler, Marie Claire, "Meet Meteorologist Kait Parker: The Woman Debunking Fake News Surrounding Climate Change," 27 July 2017
The study bolsters legislation pending in Congress, which would have the Food and Drug Administration set regulations for cheaper over-the-counter products and is designed to make the devices more widely accessible and safer.

— michelle andrews, Kaiser Health News, "Over-The-Counter Devices Hold Their Own Against Costly Hearing Aids," 25 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of bolster

see ¹bolster

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1508

See Words from the same year

bolster Synonyms

Synonyms

bear, support, brace, buttress, carry, prop (up), shore (up), stay, sustain, undergird, underpin, uphold

Related Words

steady, truss, underlie

Near Antonyms

undercut, undermine, weaken

BOLSTER Defined for English Language Learners

bolster

noun

Definition of bolster for English Language Learners

: a long bag of cloth completely filled with soft material : a long pillow or cushion

bolster

verb

Definition of bolster for English Language Learners

: to make (something) stronger or better : to give support to (something)

BOLSTER Defined for Kids

bolster

noun bol·ster \ ˈbōl-stər \

Definition of bolster for Students

:a long pillow or cushion sometimes used to support bed pillows

bolster

verb

Definition of bolster for Students

bolstered; bolstering

:to support with or as if with a bolster

We tried to bolster their courage.

Law Dictionary

bolster

transitive verb bol·ster \ ˈbōl-stər \

legal Definition of bolster

:to use evidence usually improperly to give weight to (evidence already introduced)

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Origin and Etymology of bolster

bolster

Definition of bolster

bolsterer

Examples of bolster in a Sentence

Recent Examples of bolster from the Web

Origin and Etymology of bolster

bolster Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

BOLSTER Defined for English Language Learners

bolster

Definition of bolster for English Language Learners

bolster

Definition of bolster for English Language Learners

BOLSTER Defined for Kids

bolster

Definition of bolster for Students

bolster

Definition of bolster for Students

Law Dictionary

bolster

legal Definition of bolster

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