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boot
1[ boot ]
noun
- a covering of leather, rubber, or the like, for the foot and ankle, and usually all or part of the leg:
She wore knee-high boots over her jeans.
This plaid shirt will look great with distressed black jeans and a cute pair of ankle boots.
- an overshoe, especially one of rubber or other waterproof material:
His rain boots protect his dress shoes from the mud.
- any sheathlike protective covering:
You can use a stiff piece of paper or foil as a boot for a damaged bicycle tire.
- a protective covering for the foot and part of the leg of a horse.
- a protecting cover or apron for the driver's seat of an open vehicle.
- the receptacle into which the top of a convertible car fits when lowered, or the cloth covering for it.
- British. the trunk of an automobile:
The spare tire's in the boot.
- a kick.
- the boot, Slang. a dismissal; discharge:
They gave him the boot for coming in late.
- Computers. an act or instance of starting up a computer or program.
- a rubber covering for the connection between each spark-plug terminal and ignition cable in an automotive ignition system.
- Also called Denver boot. a metal device attached to the wheel of a parked car so that it cannot be driven away until a fine is paid or the owner reports to the police: used by police to catch scofflaws.
- an instrument of torture for the leg, consisting of a kind of vise extending from the knee to the ankle, tightened around the leg by means of screws.
- U.S. Navy, Marines. a recruit.
- Music. the box that holds the reed in the reed pipe of an organ.
- Informal. a sensation of pleasure or amusement:
Watching that young skater win a gold medal gave me a real boot.
- Baseball. a fumble of a ball batted on the ground, usually to the infield.
verb (used with object)
- to kick; drive by kicking:
The boy booted a tin can down the street.
- Football. to kick.
- Baseball. to fumble (a ground ball).
- Computers.
- to start (a computer) by loading and initializing the operating system (often followed by up ):
I can't do that on my tablet so I'll have to boot up my desktop.
- to start (a program) by loading the first few instructions, which will then bring in the rest (often followed by up ).
- Slang. to expel; discharge:
They booted him out of school for selling drugs.
- to put boots on; equip or provide with boots.
- to attach a Denver boot to:
Police will boot any car with unpaid fines.
- to torture with a vise tightened around the leg by means of screws.
verb (used without object)
- Computers. to start a computer or program, or be started in this way (often followed by up ):
My laptop won't boot and shows a blank screen.
boot
2[ boot ]
noun
- Archaic. something given into the bargain.
- Obsolete.
- advantage.
- remedy; relief; help.
verb (used with or without object)
- Archaic. to be of profit, advantage, or avail (to):
It boots thee not to complain.
boot
3[ boot ]
noun
- booty; spoil; plunder.
boot
1/ buːt /
verb
- archaic.to be of advantage or use to (a person)
what boots it to complain?
noun
- obsolete.an advantage
- dialect.something given in addition, esp to equalize an exchange
a ten pound boot to settle the bargain
- to bootas well; in addition
it's cold and musty, and damp to boot
boot
2/ buːt /
noun
- a strong outer covering for the foot; shoe that extends above the ankle, often to the knee See also chukka boot top boot Wellington boots surgical boot
- an enclosed compartment of a car for holding luggage, etc, usually at the rear US and Canadian nametrunk
- a protective covering over a mechanical device, such as a rubber sheath protecting a coupling joining two shafts
- a rubber patch used to repair a puncture in a tyre
- an instrument of torture used to crush the foot and lower leg
- a protective covering for the lower leg of a horse
- a kick
he gave the door a boot
- slang.an ugly person (esp in the phrase old boot )
- slang.a navy or marine recruit, esp one in training
- computing short for bootstrap
- bet one's bootsto be certain
you can bet your boots he'll come
- See boots and all
- die with one's boots on
- to die while still active
- to die in battle
- lick the boots ofto be servile, obsequious, or flattering towards
- put the boot in slang.
- to kick a person, esp when he or she is already down
- to harass someone or aggravate a problem
- to finish off (something) with unnecessary brutality
- the boot slang.dismissal from employment; the sack
- the boot is on the other foot or the boot is on the other legthe situation is or has now reversed
- too big for one's bootsself-important or conceited
verb
- tr (esp in football) to kick
- tr to equip with boots
- informal.tr
- often foll by out to eject forcibly
- to dismiss from employment
- Alsoboot up to start up the operating system of (a computer) or (of a computer) to begin operating
Word History and Origins
Origin of boot1
Origin of boot2
Word History and Origins
Origin of boot1
Origin of boot2
Idioms and Phrases
- bet one's boots, to be sure or certain:
You can bet your boots I'll be there!
- boots on the ground,
- troops or forces who are physically present in a military campaign, law enforcement operation, or the like:
Will NATO put boots on the ground to enforce the agreement?
- people who are physically present to carry out work:
Some of our volunteers work online, and others work as boots on the ground in several locations.
- die with one's boots on, Also especially British, die in one's boots.
- to die while actively engaged in one's work, profession, etc.
- to die fighting, especially in battle, or in some worthy cause.
- get a boot, Informal. to derive keen enjoyment:
I really got a boot out of his ridiculous stories.
- to boot, in addition; besides:
We received an extra week's pay to boot.
More idioms and phrases containing boot
- die with one's boots on
- get the ax (boot)
- kick (boot) out
- lick someone's boots
- pull oneself up (by the bootstraps)
- quake in one's boots
- to boot
- too big for one's breeches (boots)
- you can bet your ass (boots)
- shoe
Example Sentences
With every stroke, her leather boot creaked under the weight of her leg.
Season three was the strongest one the series has produced yet, to boot.
The rule is that every time a new writer enters the canon an old one has to get the boot.
He became as polarizing a figure as the war itself, court jester to Nixon and corporate shill to boot.
And he was less than a month from his third decade, to boot.
The Charmington boot and the Charmington Bouquet were very freely advertised.
At last, some one came, a man, and his firm tread of boot-shod feet betokened a soldier.
Ellis's patent boot studs to save the sole, and the Euknemida, or concave-convex fastening springs, are the latest novelties.
But her small boot heel did not make an indenture, not a mark upon the little glittering circlet.
Of course, an artificial mouthpiece has to be provided for our organ-pipe, but this is called the boot.
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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.
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