bolster UK /ˈbɒlstə/US /ˈboʊlstɚ/noun 12verb 1forms 4phrases 1 noun12 •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. — 1590 •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. — 1715 •(figurative) That which supports or promotes; a catalyst.My health too has been better since you took away that Montero cap. I have left off cayenned eggs and such bolsters to discomfort. — 1867 •The part of a knife blade that abuts upon the end of the handle. •The metallic end of a pocketknife handle. •A wide-bladed cold chisel designed to split and shape bricks. •A small spacer located on top of the axle of horse-drawn wagons that gives the front wheels enough clearance to turn. •A beam in the middle of a railway truck, supporting the body of the car. •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. •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 — 1826 •The perforated plate in a punching machine on which anything rests when being punched. •(historical) A block of wood on the carriage of a siege gun, upon which the breech of the gun rests when arranged for transportation. verb1 •(figurative) To brace, reinforce, secure, or support. formsbolstered · bolstering · bolstereth · bolsters Phrases with bolster bolster upTo bolster (something); to provide support to (something).
