# booster

Pronunciation: US say "BOO-stur" /ˈbustɚ/; UK/AUS say "BOO-stuh" /ˈbuːstə/

## Noun

1. An additional dose of a vaccine given after the initial series to renew or strengthen immunity.
   - Simple: An extra dose of a vaccine given later to keep your protection strong.
   - _Health officials recommended a booster six months after the second dose._
   - _She scheduled her booster appointment for next week._
2. Anything that increases the strength, effectiveness, or success of something else.
   - Simple: A thing that makes something else stronger, better, or more powerful.
   - _The tax cut acted as a booster for small businesses._
   - _Praise from a mentor is often a powerful confidence booster._
3. The first stage of a multistage rocket, supplying the main or additional thrust that lifts the vehicle off the pad and through early flight.
   - Simple: The bottom part of a rocket that gives the big push needed to lift off the ground.
   - _The booster separated cleanly two minutes after launch._
   - _Reusable boosters return to land upright after their job is done._
4. A person who publicly champions a cause, product, or person, acting as an enthusiastic supporter and promoter.
   - Simple: A person who openly supports something or someone and tells others good things about it.
   - _He was one of the city's most tireless boosters._
   - _As a booster of the arts, she donated to every gallery in town._
5. Short for booster seat. — Ellipsis of booster seat.
   - Simple: Short for booster seat. It means the raised seat that helps a child sit safely in a car.
   - _Our son is too big for a car seat but still rides in a booster._
   - _He buckled his daughter into the booster and checked the strap._
6. A sealed package of randomized cards or figurines bought to add to a player's collection.
   - Simple: A sealed pack of game cards or figures that players buy to expand their collection.
   - _Each booster contains a random assortment of cards from the set._
   - _Collectors chase rare pulls hidden in expensive boosters._
7. An in-game item that temporarily grants a player enhanced power, speed, or another advantage.
   - Simple: An item in a video game that briefly gives a player extra power or ability.
   - _Picking up the booster doubled his score for ten seconds._
   - _The track is full of boosters that fling your car forward._
8. A member of an organized club that raises funds and rallies support for a school or athletic program.
   - Simple: A person who belongs to a club that helps raise money for a school or team.
   - _The booster paid for the team's trip to the championship._
   - _Local boosters organized a fundraiser for new equipment._
10. A word or phrase that intensifies or amplifies an utterance, such as 'really' or 'absolutely'.
   - Simple: A word that makes a statement sound stronger, like 'really' or 'so'.
   - _A well-placed booster can turn a flat statement into an emphatic one._
   - _Speakers reach for boosters when plain wording feels too weak._
11. A small charge of sensitive explosive, set off by a detonator, that supplies the energy needed to detonate a larger, less sensitive charge.
   - Simple: A small, easily-set-off explosive that helps start a much larger explosion.
   - _Blasters insert a booster to reliably initiate the main explosive column._
   - _Cheap detonators alone often can't fire the charge, so crews add boosters._
12. A thief; a person who commits theft. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A person who steals things.
   - _Police suspected a known booster in the string of break-ins._
   - _The fence bought stolen jewelry from a couple of local boosters._
13. An extra engine fitted to a steam locomotive, supplying added power at low speeds, such as starting or climbing grades.
   - Simple: A small extra engine on a steam train that gives more pulling power when starting or climbing.
   - _The booster cut out automatically above fifteen miles per hour._
   - _Locomotives with boosters could start much heavier trains._
14. A motor-generator set used to raise or stabilize the voltage in direct-current electrical power circuits.
   - Simple: A machine that raises or steadies the voltage in a direct-current power line.
   - _The booster compensated for voltage drop along the long feeder._
   - _Early traction systems relied on boosters to maintain line voltage._

## Verb

9. To administer a follow-up dose of a vaccine to someone in order to strengthen waning immunity.
   - Simple: To give someone an extra dose of a vaccine to renew their protection.
   - _The program aims to booster older residents every fall._
   - _Nurses boostered hundreds of patients during the campaign._

## Origin

Formed from "boost" combined with the suffix "-er."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/booster (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).