upholstery

/ʌpˈhəʊlstəri/ (bre, ipa) · /ʌpˈhəʊlstəri/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)əp-ˈhōl-st(ə-)rē (ˌ)ə-ˈpōl-/ (ame, mw)

upholstery — noun

1. The fabric, padding, springs, and webbing that together form the soft surface co

1.名詞B2
釋義

The fabric, padding, springs, and webbing that together form the soft surface covering of a seat, chair, sofa, or other piece of furniture.

例句

Aylin chose a blue velvet upholstery for her antique armchair.

uncountable noun + material type + purpose

The curtains were made from the same fabric as the upholstery on the dining chairs.

matching fabric across home items

同義詞
  • fabric

    refers only to the cloth layer, not the padding or springs underneath

  • padding

    focuses on the soft stuffing material, not the visible fabric covering

  • trim

    a general term for decorative interior finishing, broader than upholstery

  • covering

    more general; any outer layer, not specific to furniture

文法句型

[material] + upholstery

upholstery + [preposition: of / on]

用法筆記

Upholstery is an uncountable noun, so it does not take a plural form. Use 'a piece of upholstery' or 'items of upholstery' to refer to individual examples.

常見錯誤

❌The sofa has a beautiful upholstery.
✅The sofa has beautiful upholstery.
💡Upholstery is uncountable; do not use 'a' before it.
❌I bought some new upholsteries for my chairs.
✅I bought some new upholstery for my chairs.
💡Upholstery has no plural form.

2. The skilled trade or activity of covering and padding furniture — removing old f

2.名詞C1
釋義

The skilled trade or activity of covering and padding furniture — removing old fabric, fitting new padding and springs, and attaching fresh covering material to restore or create a soft seat.

例句

Tomás learned upholstery from his grandfather, who had run a furniture workshop for forty years.

learn + upholstery (trade context)

Meera signed up for an evening class in upholstery to restore her grandmother's dining chairs.

class in upholstery — learning context

同義詞
  • upholstering

    the gerund form of the verb; more specific to the action than the trade

  • furniture restoration

    broader field that includes fixing frames and woodwork, not just re-covering

文法句型

[learn / study / teach / do / take up] + upholstery

用法筆記

This sense refers to the trade or activity, not the materials. Distinguish from sense 1 ('the material itself') by the verbs used: 'learn', 'teach', 'do', 'take up' point to sense 2; 'buy', 'choose', 'replace' point to sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌She bought some upholstery for her sofa.' (ambiguous between sense 1 and 2).
✅She took up upholstery to re-cover her sofa.
💡Use context that makes the trade/activity meaning clear.