bolt

[ bohlt ]

/ boʊlt /

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See synonyms for: bolt / bolted / bolter on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

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.

adverb

Archaic. with sudden meeting or collision; suddenly.

OTHER WORDS FOR bolt

22 dash, rush, run, fly, speed, scoot, flee; bound.

See synonyms for bolt on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about bolt

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

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

OTHER WORDS FROM bolt

bolter, nounboltless, adjectiveboltlike, adjective

Other definitions for bolt (2 of 2)

bolt²

[ bohlt ]

/ boʊlt /

verb (used with object)

to sift through a cloth or sieve.

to examine or search into, as if by sifting.

Origin of bolt

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

OTHER WORDS FROM bolt

bolter, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bolt in a sentence

Now contrast these numbers to 2020, when Robles’s average speed was 28 and he finished a shortened year with just four bolts.
A bulked-up Victor Robles had a down year. He’ll look to fine-tune his game in winter ball.|Jesse Dougherty|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
It could also become a rebellion led by a former president, as when Teddy Roosevelt bolted the GOP and formed the Progressive, or “Bull Moose,” Party.
Even in defeat, the embers of Trumpism still burn in the Republican Party|Robert Costa, Philip Rucker, Josh Dawsey|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
Some of the messages were from Oxford High assistants who had seen it happen before, when Metcalf bolted across the field to deliver a crucial block on a screen play that went for a touchdown in the state championship game his senior season.
Seahawks star DK Metcalf is impossible to miss. So how did the NFL miss on him?|Adam Kilgore|November 6, 2020|Washington Post
Kids would imitate the stiff Frankenstein walk, ask if the bolts in his head needed tightening and make off-color jokes.
When your last name is Frankenstein and it’s Halloween|Kellie B. Gormly|October 30, 2020|Washington Post

When they interact just right, you can feel a bolt of energy inside.
These women are changing business for the better—and Fortune’s coverage is changing, too|cleaf2013|October 19, 2020|Fortune
At the moment when the remaining gunmen were distracted by a cellphone call, the five survivors bolted into the darkness.
Mexico’s First Lady of Murder Is on the Lam|Michael Daly|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Stalwarts had bolted the Red Gym and were holding a shadow convention to nominate their own candidates at the opera house.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics|Michael Wolraich|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the kids then bolted for safety, 6-year-old Aidan Licata paused to hold the door for a little girl.
In Newtown, 20 Little Angels and Six Uncommonly Brave Adults|Michael Daly|December 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
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 Movie|Anna Klassen|December 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The preservation of the past bolted to the promise of the future has made libraries ground zero of a vanishing world.
America's Public Library Crisis: Who’s Reading the Books?|Jon Reiner|May 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She had sent away her attendants, bolted the door against her mother, and sat waiting her summons.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
Then Mr. Blackbird selected a good many choice tidbits here and there, which he bolted with gusto.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
A flattish cover was bolted on to the top of the boiler, and the cylinder was let down into this top.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
At one end a piece was bolted, into which the cylinder was fixed, so that it had the steam and water around it.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
Immediately the door was opened just enough to let the two men glide in; then it was shut with a bang and bolted.
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for bolt (1 of 3)

bolt¹

/ (bəʊlt) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for bolt (2 of 3)

bolt²

boult

/ (bəʊlt) /

verb (tr)

to pass (flour, a powder, etc) through a sieve

to examine and separate

Derived forms of bolt

bolter or boulter, noun

Word Origin for bolt

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

British Dictionary definitions for bolt (3 of 3)

Bolt

/ (bəʊlt) /

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

Other 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

bolt

OTHER WORDS FOR bolt

Idioms about bolt

Origin of bolt

OTHER WORDS FROM bolt

Other definitions for bolt (2 of 2)

Origin of bolt

OTHER WORDS FROM bolt

Words related to bolt

How to use bolt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bolt (1 of 3)

Word Origin for bolt

British Dictionary definitions for bolt (2 of 3)

boult

Derived forms of bolt

Word Origin for bolt

British Dictionary definitions for bolt (3 of 3)

Other Idioms and Phrases with bolt