What's the difference between bolster and strengthen?

Bolster


Definition:

  • (n.) A long pillow or cushion, used to support the head of a person lying on a bed; -- generally laid under the pillows.
  • (n.) 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.
  • (n.) Anything arranged to act as a support, as in various forms of mechanism, etc.
  • (n.) A cushioned or a piece part of a saddle.
  • (n.) 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.
  • (n.) Anything used to prevent chafing.
  • (n.) 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.
  • (n.) A transverse bar above the axle of a wagon, on which the bed or body rests.
  • (n.) The crossbeam forming the bearing piece of the body of a railway car; the central and principal cross beam of a car truck.
  • (n.) the perforated plate in a punching machine on which anything rests when being punched.
  • (n.) That part of a knife blade which abuts upon the end of the handle.
  • (n.) The metallic end of a pocketknife handle.
  • (n.) The rolls forming the ends or sides of the Ionic capital.
  • (n.) A block of wood on the carriage of a siege gun, upon which the breech of the gun rests when arranged for transportation.
  • (v. t.) To support with a bolster or pillow.
  • (v. t.) To support, hold up, or maintain with difficulty or unusual effort; -- often with up.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) His senior role in the Popalzai tribe and his chairmanship since 2005 of Kandahar provincial council bolstered his reputation as an Asian version of a mafia don.
  • (2) And if the Brexit vote was somehow not respected by Westminster, Le Pen could be bolstered in her outrage.
  • (3) • Mubarak becomes a major mediator in the Arab-Israeli peace process, remaining a consistent US ally bolstered by billions of dollars in American aid.
  • (4) The AP reports: The incremental assistance would be aimed both at bolstering the Ukrainian military as it seeks to halt the advances of pro-Russian forces in the east, as well as showing symbolic U.S. support for Ukraine's efforts.
  • (5) Clegg went on: "Unless there's overwhelming evidence that this [campaign] is a really effective way of bolstering public confidence in the immigration system, and bearing down on illegal behaviour in the immigration system, I'm going to need a lot of persuasion this is something [we want to continue]."
  • (6) A description of sleeping arrangements of the Kung San people of the Kalahari desert; speculations of the need for arousability in primitive society to prevent predators from attacking serve to bolster the view point.
  • (7) The survey was conducted at the end of a year in which Chinese growth had slowed and the eurozone stagnated, raising expectations that Mario Draghi, head of the European Central Bank will try to bolster the eurozone by starting QE on Thursday .
  • (8) The link between IUD use and pelvic inflammatory disease is bolstered by data showing a 3-fold increase in salpingitis in IUD users compared with women in general.
  • (9) Downing Street was irritated when Michael Gove bolstered Eurosceptics on Sunday, the day of Cameron's departure for the US, by saying he would vote to leave the EU if a referendum were held now.
  • (10) Jinsa describes its mandate as two-fold: "To educate the American public about the importance of an effective US defence capability...and to inform the American defence and foreign affairs community about the important role Israel can and does play in bolstering democratic interests in the Mediterranean and the Middle East."
  • (11) At the request of the state governor, the interim president, Michel Temer, has authorized 1,000 soldiers and 200 marines to bolster security.
  • (12) Jared Genser Germany went public with its anger about Beijing’s handling of Liu’s case on Monday, accusing Chinese security services of leaking surveillance footage of Liu being visited by a German doctor in order to bolster a propaganda campaign pushing the idea that the dissident was too ill to be evacuated from China.
  • (13) The Bank of England sends a clear message to banks today to cut staff bonuses and share dividends so that they can bolster their capital cushions while maintaining lending to businesses and households.
  • (14) In a review published on Thursday, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (Icai) says the Department for International Development (DfID) has failed to turn rhetoric about how bolstering the private sector can help end global poverty into a realistic, well-balanced and joined-up portfolio of programmes.
  • (15) It would also bolster the image of the Socialist president, François Hollande , as a social reformer after a hotly contested move to legalise gay marriage in 2012.
  • (16) For months, Tom McCarthy’s journalistic thriller Spotlight has been at the head of the pack – further bolstered by its recent Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations.
  • (17) Primark’s heady pace of expansion has bolstered ABF, which is grappling with lower sugar prices that have reduced profits in its core business.
  • (18) He would have liked to spend the summer bolstering his case for a critical autumn referendum on constitutional reforms he supports, but instead he has been forced to grapple with the banking issues.
  • (19) The salience of immigration is reinforced by a separate question in which "curbing immigration" comes top of varied populist policies as the "single action politicians could take to bolster your faith in politics", with 26% picking that priority, as against 19% who prefer tax cuts and 15% who prioritise a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.
  • (20) Criticism that Africa is allowing its natural resources to be exploited, and that China is content to bolster dictators and ignore human rights abuses, merely feeds the partners' anti-western sentiment.

Strengthen


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; as, to strengthen a limb, a bridge, an army; to strengthen an obligation; to strengthen authority.
  • (v. t.) To animate; to encourage; to fix in resolution.
  • (v. i.) To grow strong or stronger.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Schneiderlin, valued at an improbable £27m, and the currently injured Jay Rodriguez are wanted by their former manager Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs, but the chairman Ralph Krueger has apparently called a halt to any more outgoings, saying: “They are part of the core that we have decided to keep at Southampton.” He added: “Jay Rodriguez and Morgan Schneiderlin are not for sale and they will be a part of our club as we enter the new season.” The new manager Ronald Koeman has begun rebuilding by bringing in Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pellè from the Dutch league and Krueger said: “We will have players coming in, we will make transfers to strengthen the squad.
  • (2) Now, as the Senate takes up a weakened House bill along with the House's strengthened backdoor-proof amendment, it's time to put focus back on sweeping reform.
  • (3) In order for the club to grow and sustain its ability to be a competitive force in the Premier League, the board has made a number of decisions which will strengthen the club, support the executive team, manager and his staff and enhance shareholder return.
  • (4) The former Stoke City manager Pulis had reportedly been left frustrated by the club failing to push through deals for various players he targeted to strengthen the Palace squad.
  • (5) Moreover, it allows the clinician to be alert towards findings which could be missed when not carefully searched for and which may be useful to raise or strengthen the suspicion of this disease.
  • (6) Possible explanations of the clinical gains include 1) psychological encouragement, 2) improvements of mechanical efficiency, 3) restoration of cardiovascular fitness, thus breaking a vicous circle of dyspnoea, inactivity and worsening dyspnoea, 4) strengthening of the body musculature, thus reducing the proportion of anaerobic work, 5) biochemical adaptations reducing glycolysis in the active tissues, and 6) indirect responses to such factors as group support, with advice on smoking habits, breathing patterns and bronchial hygiene.
  • (7) The appointment of the mayor of London's brother, who formally becomes a Cabinet Office minister, is one of a series of moves designed to strengthen the political operation in Downing Street and to patch up the prime minister's frayed links with the Conservative party.
  • (8) It added that the crisis had highlighted significant weaknesses in financial regulation, with further measures needed to strengthen supervision.
  • (9) By its pragmatic conception, modifications obtained by psychoactive agents are used (antidepressants of the group imipramine and IMAO, classical benzodiazepines and alprazolam, provocation controlled in laboratory) in order to strengthen innovating hypotheses and allow to elaborate useful treatment strategies for neuroses.
  • (10) These observations further strengthen our model for congenital transmission of T. pallidum during pregnancy.
  • (11) Discussions will cover international efforts to strengthen Ukraine's economy and energy security and help with constitutional reforms, including next month's presidential election.
  • (12) The induction of donor-type RCS during the GVHR strengthens the concept of lymphomagenesis through persistent stimulation with antigen(s).
  • (13) Progress in orthognathic surgery as well as the special methods now available for proper setting of osteotomic segments, diagnostic aids and therapeutic possibilities of orthodontics have considerably strengthened the case today for giving adults a combined treatment.
  • (14) Strengthening of the Montreal Protocol is recently being negotiated in London in 1990 in order to achieve further reductions of the regulated CFCs and to include possibly more substances.
  • (15) Results with the model strengthen the hypothesis that tetraethylammonium (TEA) acts on both the maximum potassium conductance (gK) and the mechanism of sodium conductance inactivation (Tauh) to lengthen the action potential as observed on the Ranvier node (fig.
  • (16) "At first sight, today's announcement of an independent commissioner is a missed opportunity to strengthen our co-ordinated approach to addressing these very serious matters.
  • (17) This relationship was strengthened when the results obtained in this study were combined with those from a previous study which examined the relationship between SCE induction and cell survival in Chinese hamster ovary cells exposed to simple alkylating agents.
  • (18) Any ruling from the court that strengthens suspicions that Zardari may have had a hand in the memo could be politically damaging to him.
  • (19) "The government will have a policy of zero tolerance for violence against women, and will strengthen the criminal justice system for its effective implementation," the president told a joint sitting of parliament.
  • (20) With the first prosecutions under way in the UK and Guinea-Bissau , an increased focus on strengthening the law in Kenya , and a rare conviction in Uganda , positive moves are being made in several countries to implement laws that ban female genital mutilation (FGM).