holster
n. countablen. a special holder for a gun or a tool that you wear on your belt or under your arm. It keeps the item safe and easy to reach quickly.
n. a leather or plastic case designed to hold a handgun or other small tool, typically attached to a belt, shoulder harness, or thigh. Often used to ensure both security and rapid accessibility of the device.
The police officer kept her pistol in a leather holster.
The carpenter reached for his drill, which was hanging securely in a heavy-duty holster on his tool belt.
In many classic Western films, the tension of a scene is built through close-up shots of a character's hand hovering just inches above their leather holster.
From Dutch holster (“pistol-case, holster”), from Middle Low German holster, from Old Saxon holster, ultimately from Proto-Germanic hulastrą, *hulistrą (“hull, case, covering”). Cognate with Old English heolstor (“a covering, veil, hiding-place”), Danish hylster (“pistol case, envelope”), Icelandic hulstur (“sheath”), Gothic 𐌷𐌿𐌻𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍂 (hulistr, “covering”). Compare German Halfter (“pistol case”). Related to hull, hele.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly used with the verb 'to draw' when removing an item from the holder.
Last updated May 9, 2026