bolt
1- a movable bar or rod that when slid into a socket fastens a door, gate, etc.
- the part of a lock that is shot from and drawn back into the case, as by the action of the key.
- any of several types of strong fastening rods, pins, or screws, usually threaded to receive a nut.
- a sudden dash, run, flight, or escape.
- a sudden desertion from a meeting, political party, social movement, etc.
- a length of woven goods, especially as it comes on a roll from the loom.
- a roll of wallpaper.
- Bookbinding. the three edges of a folded sheet that must be cut so that the leaves can be opened.
- 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.
- a jet of water, molten glass, etc.
- an arrow, especially a short, heavy one for a crossbow.
- a shaft of lightning; thunderbolt.
- a length of timber to be cut into smaller pieces.
- a slice from a log, as a short, round piece of wood used for a chopping block.
- to fasten with or as with a bolt.
- to discontinue support of or participation in; break with: to bolt a political party.
- to shoot or discharge (a missile), as from a crossbow or catapult.
- to utter hastily; say impulsively; blurt out.
- to swallow (one's food or drink) hurriedly: She bolted her breakfast and ran to school.
- to make (cloth, wallpaper, etc.) into bolts.
- Fox Hunting. (of hounds) to force (a fox) into the open.
- to make a sudden, swift dash, run, flight, or escape; spring away suddenly: The rabbit bolted into its burrow.
- to break away, as from one's political party.
- to eat hurriedly or without chewing.
- Horticulture. to produce flowers or seeds prematurely.
- Archaic. with sudden meeting or collision; suddenly.
- 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
1Synonyms for bolt
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.combolt
2- to sift through a cloth or sieve.
- to examine or search into, as if by sifting.
Origin of bolt
2Related Words for bolted
dash, rush, bound, dump, skip, scamper, dart, jump, leap, scoot, escape, sprint, flee, lock, fly, hightail, flight, skedaddle, abscond, springExamples from the Web for bolted
Contemporary Examples of bolted
The Stalwarts had bolted the Red Gym and were holding a shadow convention to nominate their own candidates at the opera house.
As the kids then bolted for safety, 6-year-old Aidan Licata paused to hold the door for a little girl.
The company travels with a miniature herd of ponies, and when they suddenly disappear, we are told the ponies “bolted.”
‘The Hobbit’: 19 Changes from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Novel to Peter Jackson’s MovieAnna Klassen
December 14, 2012
The preservation of the past bolted to the promise of the future has made libraries ground zero of a vanishing world.
Uncle John bolted up and stuttered that he was “tucking me in for a nap.”
Historical Examples of bolted
But no one had bolted the door, and, to the surprise of all, Mr. Compton stood before them.
Life in LondonEdwin Hodder
He bolted himself in; pulled out his watch; and laid it on the counter.
Life And Adventures Of Martin ChuzzlewitCharles Dickens
Here the waiter was unable to admit them, as the door was bolted inside.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
When it was placed in the passage, Hodden entered the room, shut and bolted the door.
One Day's CourtshipRobert Barr
John clasped it, and bolted out of the bank as a burglar might have done.
A Woman IntervenesRobert Barr
Bolt
- 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
bolt
1- 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
- (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
- stiffly, firmly, or rigidly (archaic except in the phrase bolt upright)
Word Origin for bolt
bolt
2boult
- to pass (flour, a powder, etc) through a sieve
- to examine and separate
Word Origin for bolt
Word Origin and History for bolted
bolt
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.
bolt
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.
Idioms and Phrases with bolted
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