bolster

noun

bol·ster | \ ˈbōl-stər

Definition of bolster

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a long pillow or cushion

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

bolster

verb

bolstered; bolstering\ ˈbōl-st(ə-)riŋ

Definition of bolster (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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Examples of bolster in a Sentence

Verb

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 on the Web: Noun

Instead, the Reproductive Health Act, signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on January 22, bolster's the state's protections for those seeking abortions in line with the guarantees already set forth in Roe v. Wade. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "What President Trump Got Wrong About Abortion in His State of the Union Address," 6 Feb. 2019 Proper hand position on the bolster controls the blade, determines its function, and prevents you from cutting the vegetables too big (or cutting your finger off). — Francine Maroukian, Popular Mechanics, "The Right Way to Use a Chef's Knife," 7 Nov. 2018 The grip: Pinch the blade between your thumb and forefinger just ahead of the bolster like a claw, curling the other three fingers around the handle. — Francine Maroukian, Popular Mechanics, "The Right Way to Use a Chef's Knife," 7 Nov. 2018 Seven & I Holdings credits hot dogs and pizza with helping bolster sales. — Rachel Abrams, The Seattle Times, "Tensions build between 7-Eleven and its store owners," 30 July 2018 They're bolstered, but not aggressively so, and there are buttons to widen or narrow the bolsters to your preference. — Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, "Small, nimble, quick, and loud: The BMW X2 reviewed," 23 May 2018 The interior was striking, with black square-quilted seat inserts, contrast stitching and piping on the bolsters, plush door panels in brown, and wood on the dash and center stack. — Emma Jayne Williams, star-telegram, "Nissan Armada full-size SUV has plentyof room for the family, lots of technology," 17 June 2018 The flatter, rectangular bolsters are more comfortable to lie on for restorative poses. — Julie Brown, Outside Online, "The Ultimate Stay-at-Home Yoga Kit," 6 June 2018 Cloth seats are available in ash (mine, black bolsters with ash contrast stitching) or black. — Emma Jayne Williams, star-telegram, "Toyota introduces new Adventure modelto the lineup of its 2018 RAV4 crossover," 23 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Last year, Reykjavik's Keflavik Airport announced a $1 billion expansion project, bolstered by an increasing volume of air traffic touching down in the small island nation. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Discount Airline 'Wow' Shuts Down Out of Nowhere, Stranding Thousands of Passengers," 28 Mar. 2019 Powell said in remarks at a Fed award ceremony that these challenges remain even though unemployment is near five-decade low and the financial system has been bolstered since the 2008 financial crisis. — Martin Crutsinger, The Seattle Times, "Fed Chairman Powell says economic challenges remain," 4 Dec. 2018 Canada knows this, which has bolstered the country’s negotiating position. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "The NAFTA deadline is Sunday. What happens if there’s no deal?," 29 Sep. 2018 The South Koreans are defending champions and have been bolstered by players from the North. — John Pye, Fox News, "Combined Koreas basketball team to play for Asian Games gold," 30 Aug. 2018 In addition to improving patient outcomes, holistic health — bolstered by digital health platforms and real-time data analytics — is also key to lowering the rate of increase of mounting health care costs. — Karen S. Lynch, STAT, "Everyone deserves a holistic, patient-centric health care system," 12 July 2018 That speech — bolstered by Bork’s long paper trail of conservative opinions and his role in the Saturday Night Massacre during the Watergate scandal — galvanized liberal interest groups. — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, "5 Reasons Why Supreme Court Nominations Have Failed," 10 July 2018 Bavaria's intransigence on the migration issue has, in fact, bolstered Merkel's negotiating position with some EU countries, says Josef Janning, head of the European Council on Foreign Relations Berlin office. — Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, "In Merkel's moment of crisis, a chance to seize middle ground on migration?," 27 June 2018 The United States and Russia have both expressed interest in boosting Arctic drilling, and Russia has bolstered its military presence in the north. — Anchorage Daily News, "US must ‘up its game’ in the Arctic, defense secretary says during Alaska stopover," 26 June 2018

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.