What does "bolster" mean?
A large cushion or pillow, usually cylindrical in shape.
Bolster
/ˈboʊlstɚ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A large cushion or pillow, usually cylindrical in shape.
- Grammar: bolster is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: advance, affirm, afford support, aid.
- Useful contrasts: debilitated, debilitating, demoralized.
- Usage evidence: Anti-foreign sentiment is often stoked by the Chinese government in order to bolster cheap nationalism.
How to use "bolster"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bolster" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bolster" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bolster" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bolster" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bolster" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "advance" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bolster", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A large cushion or pillow, usually cylindrical in shape.
"And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster, / This way the coverlet, another way the sheets."
- 2 a pillow that is often put across a bed underneath the regular pillows wordnet
- 3 A pad, quilt, or anything used to hinder pressure, support part of the body, or make a bandage sit easy upon a wounded part; a compress.
"This Arm ſhall be a Bolſter for thy Head, / I'll fetch clean Straw to make my Soldier's Bed; / There, while thou ſleep'ſt, my Apron o'er thee hold, / Or with it patch thy Tent againſt the Cold."
- 4 A small spacer located on top of the axle of horse-drawn wagons that gives the front wheels enough clearance to turn.
- 5 A short, horizontal structural timber between a post and a beam for enlarging the bearing area of the post and/or reducing the span of the beam.
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 A beam in the middle of a railway truck, supporting the body of the car.
- 7 The perforated plate in a punching machine on which anything rests when being punched.
- 8 The part of a knife blade that abuts upon the end of the handle.
- 9 The metallic end of a pocketknife handle.
- 10 The rolls forming the ends or sides of the Ionic capital.
"Its [the Ionic's column's] ancient capital is generally formed of two parallel bolsters"
- 11 A block of wood on the carriage of a siege gun, upon which the breech of the gun rests when arranged for transportation. historical
- 12 That which supports or promotes; a catalyst. figuratively
"My health too has been better since you took away that Montero cap. I have left off cayenned eggs and such bolsters to discomfort."
- 13 A wide-bladed cold chisel designed to split and shape bricks.
Verb
- 1 To brace, reinforce, secure, or support. figuratively, often, transitive
"Puget also teamed up with Matt Hyde (Deftones, Slayer) to co-produce the record, which was another smart move: Together, the pair ensures that AFI (The Blood Album)'s arrangements are streamlined, but bolstered by just the right amount of atmospheric texture."
- 2 support and strengthen wordnet
- 3 add padding to wordnet
- 4 prop up with a pillow or bolster wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from German. countable, uncountable
- 2 A ghost town in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Anti-foreign sentiment is often stoked by the Chinese government in order to bolster cheap nationalism."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bolster"?
Common synonyms include: advance, affirm, afford support, aid, air mattress, armor.
How do you use "bolster" in a sentence?
Anti-foreign sentiment is often stoked by the Chinese government in order to bolster cheap nationalism.
How do you pronounce "bolster"?
Pronounced /ˈboʊlstɚ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bolster, bolstre, from Old English bolster (“pillow”), from Proto-West Germanic *bolstr, from Proto-Germanic *bulstraz (“pillow, cushion”). Cognate with Scots bowster (“bolster”), West Frisian bulster (“mattress”), Dutch bolster (“husk, shell”), German Polster (“bolster, pillow, pad”), Swedish bolster (“soft mattress, bolster”), Icelandic bólstur (“pillow”).
Etymology 2
Variant of German Polster.