Meaning & use
reupholstered
Last updated
“reupholstered” is a form of “reupholster”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of reupholster: replaced the padding and cloth covering on a chair, sofa or similar furniture.
Grammar: Takes an object: she reupholstered the chair.
Patterns
- reupholster something in something
- have something reupholstered
We reupholstered the old sofa in green velvet.
She had the dining chairs reupholstered last spring.
He reupholstered the car seats with leather.
adjectivebefore a noun
Describing furniture that has been given a new cover and padding.
Grammar: Often comes before a noun: a reupholstered armchair.
Patterns
- a reupholstered chair
The reupholstered armchair looked brand new.
A reupholstered bench stood in the hallway.
They sold the reupholstered sofa for twice the price.
Word forms
| base form | reupholster |
|---|---|
| third person singular | reupholsters |
| -ing form | reupholstering |
Common combinations
- reupholstered chair
- The reupholstered chair now matches the curtains.
- freshly reupholstered
- The freshly reupholstered seats smelled of new fabric.
- have it reupholstered
- We decided to have the sofa reupholstered instead of buying a new one.
- reupholstered in velvet
- The headboard was reupholstered in velvet.
- reupholstered by hand
- The antique stool was reupholstered by hand.
Synonyms and how they differ
- recovered
- Recovered means putting a new cover on, while reupholstered includes replacing the padding underneath as well.
- refurbished
- Refurbished is much broader and covers renewing a whole object or room, whereas reupholstered only concerns cloth and padding.
- restored
- Restored suggests returning something to its original condition, while reupholstered may change the look entirely.
Word family
- upholstery noun
- the soft covering and padding of furniture
- upholsterer noun
- a person who covers and repairs furniture
- upholster verb
- to fit furniture with padding and cover
- reupholstery noun
- the work of covering furniture again
Commonly confused: reupholstered or restored?
reupholstered vs restored
A restored chair may only be cleaned or repaired, but a reupholstered chair has a new covering.
Practice
They liked the shape of the old armchair, so they had it ____ in blue fabric.
Choose one answer.
Reupholstered means given new padding and fabric. Repainted and repaired do not suit 'in blue fabric', and reheated is unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reupholstered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.