What does holstered mean?
Holstered describes something secured in a holster, especially a firearm kept in a fitted sheath at the hip or another accessible position. In everyday and professional contexts, the word can imply not only that a weapon is carried but that it is deliberately contained and ready to be drawn. It can also function as the past tense and past participle of the verb holster, meaning to place or secure an object in a holster. The term is most often encountered in descriptions of police work, armed security, military equipment, and the organization of personal gear. Because holstered focuses on the relationship between an object and its sheath, it should not be confused with holster, which names the carrying case itself.
Secured or carried in a holster, especially a firearm.
"He adjusted the holstered pistol beneath his jacket."
Usually used attributively before a noun, as in 'holstered weapon.'
Past tense and past participle of holster: to place or secure an object in a holster.
"The guard holstered the radio after the patrol."
In this use, the word is a finite verb form and is followed by a direct object or an auxiliary.
A word for the moment a weapon goes from being carried to being ready: holstered means secured in its sheath, not merely nearby.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does holstered come from?
The word derives from holster, whose deeper origin is obscure. It is generally traced to an Old English or Scandinavian-influenced term associated with a sheath or hanging support, but its exact historical development is uncertain. The related forms holstering and holsters developed by ordinary inflection from the same base word.
Related word forms
How holstered is actually used
In its adjectival use, holstered is usually applied to firearms or other objects carried in a holster. As a verb form, it takes a direct object: 'She holstered the pistol.'
Easily confused with holstered
A holster is the sheath or carrying case itself, whereas holstered describes a weapon or object placed or secured in such a case.