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Idioms

    bolt from the blue, a sudden and entirely unforeseen event: His decision to leave college was a bolt from the blue for his parents.Also bolt out of the blue.
    bolt upright, stiffly upright; rigidly straight: The explosive sound caused him to sit bolt upright in his chair.
    shoot one's bolt, Informal. to make an exhaustive effort or expenditure: The lawyer shot his bolt the first day of the trial and had little to say thereafter.

Origin of bolt

1
before 1000; Middle English (noun, v., and adv.), Old English (noun), cognate with Dutch bout, German Bolz
Related formsbolt·er, nounbolt·less, adjectivebolt·like, adjective

Synonyms for bolt

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bolt ON THESAURUS.COM
22. dash, rush, run, fly, speed, scoot, flee, bound.

bolt

2
[bohlt]

verb (used with object)

to sift through a cloth or sieve.
to examine or search into, as if by sifting.

Origin of bolt

2
1150–1200; Middle English bulten < Old French bul(e)ter, metathetic variant of *buteler < Germanic; compare Middle High German biuteln to sift, derivative of biutel, Old High German būtil bag, whence German Beutel
Related formsbolt·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bolt

screw, pin, nut, rod, pipe, fastener, spike, latch, rivet, dash, rush, bound, dump, skip, scamper, dart, jump, leap, scoot, escape

Examples from the Web for bolt

Contemporary Examples of bolt

Historical Examples of bolt

  • The Governor won't be here for half an hour; bolt the door and have it out.

    Life in London

    Edwin Hodder

  • One had already been slain by a bolt, so that there were but four upon their feet.

    The White Company

    Arthur Conan Doyle

  • I pray you to speed a bolt against yonder shield with all your force.

    The White Company

    Arthur Conan Doyle

  • Stand aside, Arnaud, lest you find a bolt through your gizzard.

    The White Company

    Arthur Conan Doyle

  • The bolt shown did not happen to suit, and the strangers again left us.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for bolt

bolt

1

noun

a bar that can be slid into a socket to lock a door, gate, etc
a bar or rod that forms part of a locking mechanism and is moved by a key or a knob
a metal rod or pin that has a head at one end and a screw thread at the other to take a nut
a sliding bar in a breech-loading firearm that ejects the empty cartridge, replaces it with a new one, and closes the breech
a flash of lightning
a sudden start or movement, esp in order to escapethey made a bolt for the door
US a sudden desertion, esp from a political party
a roll of something, such as cloth, wallpaper, etc
an arrow, esp for a crossbow
printing a folded edge on a sheet of paper that is removed when cutting to size
mechanical engineering short for expansion bolt
a bolt from the blue a sudden, unexpected, and usually unwelcome event
shoot one's bolt to exhaust one's effortthe runner had shot his bolt

verb

(tr) to secure or lock with or as with a bolt or boltsbolt your doors
(tr) to eat hurriedlydon't bolt your food
(intr; usually foll by from or out) to move or jump suddenlyhe bolted from the chair
(intr) (esp of a horse) to start hurriedly and run away without warning
(tr) to roll or make (cloth, wallpaper, etc) into bolts
US to desert (a political party, etc)
(intr) (of cultivated plants) to produce flowers and seeds prematurely
(tr) to cause (a wild animal) to leave its lair; startterriers were used for bolting rats

adverb

stiffly, firmly, or rigidly (archaic except in the phrase bolt upright)

Word Origin for bolt

Old English bolt arrow; related to Old High German bolz bolt for a crossbow

bolt

2

boult

verb (tr)

to pass (flour, a powder, etc) through a sieve
to examine and separate
Derived Formsbolter or boulter, noun

Word Origin for bolt

C13: from Old French bulter, probably of Germanic origin; compare Old High German būtil bag

Bolt

noun

Robert (Oxton). 1924–95, British playwright. His plays include A Man for All Seasons (1960) and he also wrote a number of screenplays
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for bolt
n.

Old English bolt "short, stout arrow with a heavy head;" also "crossbow for throwing bolts," from Proto-Germanic *bultas (cf. Old Norse bolti, Danish bolt, Dutch bout, German Bolzen), perhaps from PIE root *bheld- "to knock, strike" (cf. Lithuanian beldu "I knock," baldas "pole for striking").

Applied since Middle English to other short metal rods (especially those with knobbed ends). From the notion of an arrow's flight comes the lightning bolt (1530s). A bolt of canvas (c.1400) was so called for its shape. Adverbial phrase bolt upright is from late 14c.

v.

from bolt (n.) in its various senses; from a crossbow arrow's quick flight comes the meaning "to spring, to make a quick start" (early 13c.). Via the notion of runaway horses, this came to mean "to leave suddenly" (early 19c.). Meaning "to gulp down food" is from 1794. The meaning "to secure by means of a bolt" is from 1580s. Related: Bolted; bolting.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with bolt

bolt

In addition to the idioms beginning with bolt

  • bolt from the blue, a
  • bolt upright

also see:

  • nuts and bolts
  • shoot one's bolt
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.