bolt upright
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In fact, trying to hold yourself bolt upright all day could do more harm than good, he told Morning Live.
From BBC • Aug. 25, 2025
However, there is one person who will bolt upright with alarm whenever I sneeze and exclaim, “Well, excuse you!” or, “Why didn’t you give us some warning?!” making everyone stare at me further.
From Washington Post • Jun. 10, 2022
I sat bolt upright, moving my lips with nothing coming out.
From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2022
Typically bolt upright in her chair and staring straight ahead, Holmes has remained impassive as even one-time supporters testified to their misgivings about her actions while leading Theranos.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 19, 2021
I sat bolt upright in the freezing simulation room, breathing hard as the very real adrenaline from the very fake simulation raced through my system.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
