Definitions for bolster
ˈboʊl stərbol·ster

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. bolster, long pillowverb

   a pillow that is often put across a bed underneath the regular pillows

2. bolster, bolster upverb

   support and strengthen

   "bolster morale"

3. bolsterverb

   prop up with a pillow or bolster

4. pad, bolsterverb

   add padding to

   "pad the seat of the chair"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. bolsternoun

   A large cushion or pillow.

2. bolsterverb

   To brace, reinforce, secure, or support.

3. Etymology: Akin to Old Norse bólstr (> Danish bolster), German Polster, polstern.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. BOLSTERnoun

   Etymology: bolstre, Sax. bolster, Dutch.

   1. Something laid on the bed, to raise and support the head; commonly a bag filled with down or feathers.

   Perhaps some cold bank is her bolster now,
   Or ’gainst the rugged bark of some broad elm,
   Leans her unpillow’d head. John Milton.

   This arm shall be a bolster for thy head;
   I’ll fetch clean straw to make a soldier’s bed. John Gay.

   2. A pad, or quilt, to hinder any pressure, or fill up any vacuity.

   Up goes her hand, and off she slips
   The bolsters that supply her hips. Jonathan Swift.

   3. A pad, or compress, to be laid on a wound.

   The bandage is the girt, which hath a bolster in the middle, and the ends tacked firmly together. Richard Wiseman, Surgery.

   4. In horsemanship.The bolsters of a saddle are those parts raised upon the bows, to hold the rider’s thigh. Farrier’s Dict.

2. To Bolsterverb

   Etymology: from the noun.

   1. To support the head with a bolster.2. To afford a bed to.

   Mortal eyes do see them bolster,
   More than their own. William Shakespeare, Othello.

   3. To hold wounds together with a compress.

   The practice of bolstering the cheeks forward, does little service to the wound, and is very uneasy to the patient. Samuel Sharp.

   4. To support; to hold up; to maintain. This is now an expression somewhat coarse and obsolete.

   We may be made wiser by the publick persuasions grafted in men’s minds, so they be used to further the truth, not to bolster errour. Richard Hooker, b. iii. § 4.

   The lawyer sets his tongue to sale for the bolstering out of unjust causes. George Hakewill, on Providence.

   It was the way of many to bolster up their crazy, doating consciences with confidences. South.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Bolster

   A bolster is a long narrow pillow or cushion filled with cotton, down or fibre. Bolsters are usually firm for back or arm support or for decorative application. They are not a standard size or shape and commonly have a zipper or hook-and-loop enclosure. A foam insert is sometimes used for additional support. A bolster is also referred to as a cushion, a pillow and a prop. A bolster pillow is a common shape for lace pillows.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. bolster

   A bolster is to support or strengthen something. It can also refer to a long, thick pillow that is placed under other pillows for support. In general, it refers to anything that provides reinforcement or a boost.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Bolsternoun

   a long pillow or cushion, used to support the head of a person lying on a bed; -- generally laid under the pillows

2. Bolsternoun

   a pad, quilt, or anything used to hinder pressure, support any part of the body, or make a bandage sit easy upon a wounded part; a compress

3. Bolsternoun

   anything arranged to act as a support, as in various forms of mechanism, etc

4. Bolsternoun

   a cushioned or a piece part of a saddle

5. Bolsternoun

   a cushioned or a piece of soft wood covered with tarred canvas, placed on the trestletrees and against the mast, for the collars of the shrouds to rest on, to prevent chafing

6. Bolsternoun

   anything used to prevent chafing

7. Bolsternoun

   a plate of iron or a mass of wood under the end of a bridge girder, to keep the girder from resting directly on the abutment

8. Bolsternoun

   a transverse bar above the axle of a wagon, on which the bed or body rests

9. Bolsternoun

   the crossbeam forming the bearing piece of the body of a railway car; the central and principal cross beam of a car truck

10. Bolsternoun

    the perforated plate in a punching machine on which anything rests when being punched

11. Bolsternoun

    that part of a knife blade which abuts upon the end of the handle

12. Bolsternoun

    the metallic end of a pocketknife handle

13. Bolsternoun

    the rolls forming the ends or sides of the Ionic capital

14. Bolsternoun

    a block of wood on the carriage of a siege gun, upon which the breech of the gun rests when arranged for transportation

15. Bolsterverb

    to support with a bolster or pillow

16. Bolsterverb

    to support, hold up, or maintain with difficulty or unusual effort; -- often with up

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Bolster

   bōl′stėr, n. a long round pillow or cushion: a pad: anything resembling it in form or use, esp. any piece of mechanism affording a support against pressure.—v.t. to support with a bolster: to hold up.—p.adj. Bol′stered, supported: swelled out.—n. Bol′stering, a propping up or supporting. [A.S. bolster; from root of Bowl.]

CrunchBaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Bolster

   Bolster improves the home remodeling experience by providing an insurance product that guarantees the outcome of every remodeling project. Bolster helps clients learn the true cost of their project in advance, vets and underwrites their contractor of choice, and provides expert project-management advice. For the first time, homeowners are protected against common nightmare scenarios such as unjustified price increases, shoddy workmanship, and project delays. Bolster is a software application available on the web and any mobile device.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. bolster

   A block of wood on the carriage of a siege-gun, and on the mortar-wagon upon which the gun rests when moving it from place to place. The first is a breach-, the second a muzzle-bolster.

2. bolster

   A cushioned or padded part of a saddle.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. BOLSTER

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Bolster is ranked #14902 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Bolster surname appeared 1,986 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Bolster.
   
   94.4% or 1,875 total occurrences were White.
   2.6% or 53 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   1.2% or 24 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   0.8% or 17 total occurrences were Asian.
   0.5% or 10 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
   0.3% or 7 total occurrences were Black.

Matched Categories

1. • Fill
   • Prop Up
   • Reinforce

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Anagrams for bolster »

1. bolters

2. lobster

3. trobles

How to pronounce bolster?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say bolster in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of bolster in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of bolster in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of bolster in a Sentence

1. Jennifer Cafarella:

   ISIS appears to dispatch advisers to support local recruitment in such areas in an attempt to bolster the local strength of these groups, but does not augment their ranks with its own forces.

2. Gary Willingham:

   These proceeds further bolster our balance sheet in the near term and will contribute to our upcoming capital investments in Israel, including our initial investment in the Leviathan project.

3. State John Kerry:

   At the end of the day, nothing would do more to bolster the fight against Daesh than a political transition that sidelines Assad so that we can unite more of the country against extremism.

4. Gita Gopinath:

   Once the health crisis is over, policy efforts can focus more on building resilient, inclusive, and greener economies, both to bolster the recovery and to raise potential output.

5. Lisa Davis:

   First, it will help bolster the purchasing power of our nation's schools, allowing them to stretch their budgets during these uncertain times, second, at a time when families continue to face financial strain and hardship, this will give them fewer meal expenses to worry about each day.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=bolster
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Bolster
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=bolster
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolster
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bolster
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=bolster
8. ^ CrunchBase
   https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/bolster
9. ^ Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/59563/pg59563-images.html
10. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
    https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html
11. ^ Usage in printed sources
    https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=bolster