Definition of BOLSTERED (original) (raw)

1

: a long pillow or cushion

2

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

transitive verb

1

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

extra men will bolster already augmented dock details—Stanley Levey

2

: to give a boost to

news that bolstered his spirits

Synonyms

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

An available matching lumbar pillow with stripe buttons layers on the cozy, while a customizable bolster pillow adds touch of color. —Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Sep. 2024 The flip side was not-so-great body control over low-speed obstacles like potholes, road construction plates, and so on; side-to-side motions could be better controlled to stop the seat bolsters from performing percussive maintenance on your kidneys. —Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 3 Sep. 2024

Technology integration challenges, data utilization issues, and cost issues often hinder efforts to bolster supply chains. —Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024 Yes, but: Many of its future vaccines aren't moving quickly enough to bolster the top or bottom line. —Nathan Bomey, Axios, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bolster

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bolster.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1508, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of bolster was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bolster

Cite this Entry

“Bolster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bolster. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

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Last Updated: 15 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences

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Merriam-Webster unabridged