bolt
1 Americannoun
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a movable bar or rod that when slid into a socket fastens a door, gate, etc.
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the part of a lock that is shot from and drawn back into the case, as by the action of the key.
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any of several types of strong fastening rods, pins, or screws, usually threaded to receive a nut.
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a sudden dash, run, flight, or escape.
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a sudden desertion from a meeting, political party, social movement, etc.
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a length of woven goods, especially as it comes on a roll from the loom.
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a roll of wallpaper.
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Bookbinding. the three edges of a folded sheet that must be cut so that the leaves can be opened.
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a rod, bar, or plate that closes the breech of a breechloading rifle, especially a sliding rod or bar that shoves a cartridge into the firing chamber as it closes the breech.
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a jet of water, molten glass, etc.
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an arrow, especially a short, heavy one for a crossbow.
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a shaft of lightning; thunderbolt.
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a length of timber to be cut into smaller pieces.
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a slice from a log, as a short, round piece of wood used for a chopping block.
verb (used with object)
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to fasten with or as with a bolt.
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to discontinue support of or participation in; break with.
to bolt a political party.
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to shoot or discharge (a missile), as from a crossbow or catapult.
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to utter hastily; say impulsively; blurt out.
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to swallow (one's food or drink) hurriedly.
She bolted her breakfast and ran to school.
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to make (cloth, wallpaper, etc.) into bolts.
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Fox Hunting. (of hounds) to force (a fox) into the open.
verb (used without object)
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to make a sudden, swift dash, run, flight, or escape; spring away suddenly.
The rabbit bolted into its burrow.
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to break away, as from one's political party.
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to eat hurriedly or without chewing.
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Horticulture. to produce flowers or seeds prematurely.
adverb
idioms
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bolt upright, stiffly upright; rigidly straight.
The explosive sound caused him to sit bolt upright in his chair.
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bolt from the blue, a sudden and entirely unforeseen event: Also bolt out of the blue.
His decision to leave college was a bolt from the blue for his parents.
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shoot one's bolt, to make an exhaustive effort or expenditure.
The lawyer shot his bolt the first day of the trial and had little to say thereafter.
verb (used with object)
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to sift through a cloth or sieve.
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to examine or search into, as if by sifting.
noun
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a bar that can be slid into a socket to lock a door, gate, etc
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a bar or rod that forms part of a locking mechanism and is moved by a key or a knob
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a metal rod or pin that has a head at one end and a screw thread at the other to take a nut
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a sliding bar in a breech-loading firearm that ejects the empty cartridge, replaces it with a new one, and closes the breech
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a flash of lightning
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a sudden start or movement, esp in order to escape
they made a bolt for the door
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a sudden desertion, esp from a political party
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a roll of something, such as cloth, wallpaper, etc
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an arrow, esp for a crossbow
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printing a folded edge on a sheet of paper that is removed when cutting to size
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mechanical engineering short for expansion bolt
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a sudden, unexpected, and usually unwelcome event
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to exhaust one's effort
the runner had shot his bolt
verb
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(tr) to secure or lock with or as with a bolt or bolts
bolt your doors
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(tr) to eat hurriedly
don't bolt your food
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(intr; usually foll by from or out) to move or jump suddenly
he bolted from the chair
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(intr) (esp of a horse) to start hurriedly and run away without warning
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(tr) to roll or make (cloth, wallpaper, etc) into bolts
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to desert (a political party, etc)
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(intr) (of cultivated plants) to produce flowers and seeds prematurely
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(tr) to cause (a wild animal) to leave its lair; start
terriers were used for bolting rats
adverb
noun
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Robert ( Oxton ). 1924–95, British playwright. His plays include A Man for All Seasons (1960) and he also wrote a number of screenplays
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Usain (juːˈseɪn). born 1986, Jamaican athlete: winner of the 100 metres and the 200 metres in the 2008 Olympic Games, setting world records at both distances
verb
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to pass (flour, a powder, etc) through a sieve
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to examine and separate
Other Word Forms
- bolter noun
- boltless adjective
- boltlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of bolt1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun bolt, bold, bote “(crossbow) bolt, (lightning) bolt, (door) bolt, (cloth) bolt,” Old English bolt “arrow, (crossbow) bolt, catapult”; cognate with Dutch bout, German Bolz
Origin of bolt2
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English bulten, bolten, bouten, from Old French bul(e)ter, variant of unrecorded buteler, from Germanic; compare Middle High German biuteln “to sift,” derivative of biutel, Old High German būtil “bag,” whence German Beutel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Slamming 1,250 hp to the ground in an electromechanically coupled instant, the ZR1X can bolt to 60 mph in under 2 seconds on its way to a ¼-mile under 9 seconds.
Just the honor system and a makeshift security camera I bolted to the top.
Across Southern California, we’ve bolted our houses to their foundations in anticipation of the Big One.
From Los Angeles Times
With so much at risk, it’s not surprising that some potential victims bolt.
From Los Angeles Times
After research in the BMW archives to figure out what needed to be done, I replaced all the nuts and bolts with factory-looking originals.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
