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as in to reinforce
to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea)
a couple of tournament wins would bolster the extravagant claims that have been made on behalf of the young golfer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples of bolster in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024
Advertisement In support of the initiative, UC Berkeley has pledged $500,000 to bolster the program.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024
Peter Nelson, Ars Technica, 1 June 2024
In 1852, Franklin Pierce won the presidency on a promise of annexing Cuba as an ideal bolster to the southern slave economy, and the next year, his vice president, William Rufus King, a slave-owning cotton planter from Alabama himself, took the oath of office while on a visit to the island.
—Jon Lee Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2021
See all Example Sentences for bolster 
Verb
The ministry did not say how many were currently serving on the front lines
The convict-to-combat initiative as well as a conscription reform are an attempt to bolster the faltering ranks of Ukrainian soldiers after two-and-half years of grinding war.
—Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024
Advertisement In support of the initiative, UC Berkeley has pledged $500,000 to bolster the program.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024
Noun
The front seats are some of the best on the market, offering excellent firmness and very assuring bolsters to keep you held in place when cornering.
—Peter Nelson, Ars Technica, 1 June 2024
In 1852, Franklin Pierce won the presidency on a promise of annexing Cuba as an ideal bolster to the southern slave economy, and the next year, his vice president, William Rufus King, a slave-owning cotton planter from Alabama himself, took the oath of office while on a visit to the island.
—Jon Lee Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2021
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.
Thesaurus Entries Near bolster
Cite this Entry
“Bolster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bolster. Accessed 29 Sep. 2024.
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