- a long, often cylindrical, cushion or pillow for a bed, sofa, etc.
- anything resembling this in form or in use as a support.
- any pillow, cushion, or pad.
- Nautical.
- a circular casting on the side of a vessel, through which an anchor chain passes.
- a timber used as a temporary support.
- a beam for holding lines or rigging without chafing.
- a bag filled with buoyant material, fitted into a small boat.
- an anvillike support for the lower die of a drop forge.
- Masonry.
- a timber or the like connecting two ribs of a centering.
- a chisel with a blade splayed toward the edge, used for cutting bricks.
- a horizontal timber on a post for lessening the free span of a beam.
- a structural member on which one end of a bridge truss rests.
- to support with or as with a pillow or cushion.
- to add to, support, strengthen, or uphold (sometimes followed by up): They bolstered their morale by singing. He bolstered up his claim with new evidence.
- to support or reinforce; strengthen
- to prop up with a pillow or cushion
- to add padding to
- a long narrow pillow or cushion
- any pad or padded support
- a short horizontal length of timber fixed to the top of a post to increase the bearing area and reduce the span of the supported beam
- a cold chisel having a broad blade splayed towards the cutting edge, used for cutting stone slabs, etc
