bolstered

past tense of bolster
1
as in sustained
to hold up or serve as a foundation for used additional beams to bolster the ceiling

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in reinforced
to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea) a couple of tournament wins would bolster the extravagant claims that have been made on behalf of the young golfer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bolstered And the defending Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks had bolstered their roster by trading for All-Pro offensive lineman Quenton Nelson. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026 The midterm results bolstered prediction markets’ reputation as forecasting tools. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2026 All of those movies were bolstered by months-long, multi-million dollar marketing campaigns. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 8 Nov. 2026 Coach sales rose 16%, bolstered by handbags and focusing global customer acquisition on Gen Z; Kate Spade declined 10%, in line with expectations. — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026 Expectations that the election outcome could keep a lid on excessive government borrowing and spending bolstered US government bonds, sending yields lower. — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2026 But, in the past thirty-some years, the overwhelming dominance of Republicans—and, in the past decade, of the far-right Christian-nationalist wing of the Party—has bolstered these claims of inevitability. — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2026 Ukraine’s general staff said Monday that Russia’s military had bolstered its drone defenses and replenished ammunition supplies in the area during the ceasefire. — ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026 Trump’s support has bolstered Putin’s belief that time is on his side. — Michael McFaul, Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bolstered
Verb
  • According to a new lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE, the actress — known for her roles in shows and movies including Single and Ready to Jingle, Trust in Love, UnREAL and more — sustained her injuries at a Los Angeles area dog park in November 2024.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Even if Friday's gains are sustained, these stocks have tallied steep losses over the past week.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Instead, your framing reinforced the stigma that makes people afraid to talk about it in the first place.
    — Joe Kinsey, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Tuesday’s show of appreciation reinforced the importance of civility and respect for public institutions in America — qualities too often lacking in the public square these days.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 12 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Sánchez has pledged an investigation and improvements to restore trust in the rail system that last year carried 45 million travelers, including millions of tourists.
    — Francisco Seco, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The rockets are carried in launch pods, with six rounds in a HIMARS pod and 12 across the two pods carried by an M270 launcher.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • In theory, the resolution could have passed if eight of the 11 Democrats who missed the vote would have supported it.
    — Mariana Alfaro, Arkansas Online, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Anthropic has publicly supported all three bills, and OpenAI has been warming up to them as well after initially being reticent to support the proposals.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 12 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • The state Commission on Judicial Performance upheld 17 findings of misconduct against Judge Robert Draper, 84, according to a disciplinary document made public Tuesday.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Najib has been behind bars since August 2022, when the Kuala Lumpur High Court upheld his graft conviction linked to a multibillion-dollar looting of the state investment fund 1MDB.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bolstered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bolstered. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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