boot
1- a covering of leather, rubber, or the like, for the foot and all or part of the leg.
- Chiefly British. any shoe or outer foot covering reaching to the ankle.
- an overshoe, especially one of rubber or other waterproof material.
- 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.
- any sheathlike protective covering: a boot for a weak automobile 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 or place into which the top of a convertible car fits when lowered.
- a cloth covering for this receptacle or place.
- British. the trunk of an automobile.
- 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.
- U.S. Navy, Marines. a recruit.
- Music. the box that holds the reed in the reed pipe of an organ.
- a kick.
- Slang. a dismissal; discharge: They gave him the boot for coming in late.
- 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.
- Computers. an act or instance of starting up a computer or program.
- to kick; drive by kicking: The boy booted a tin can down the street.
- Football. to kick.
- Baseball. to fumble (a ground ball).
- to put boots on; equip or provide with boots.
- Computers.
- to start (a computer) by loading and initializing the operating system (often followed by up).
- to start (a program) by loading the first few instructions, which will then bring in the rest (often followed by up).
- Slang. to dismiss; discharge: They booted him out of school for not studying.
- to attach a Denver boot to: Police will boot any car with unpaid fines.
- to torture with the boot.
- 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.
- bet your boots, to be sure or certain: You can bet your boots that I'll be there!
- die with one's boots on,
- 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.
Origin of boot
1boot
2- Archaic. something given into the bargain.
- Obsolete.
- advantage.
- remedy; relief; help.
- Archaic. to be of profit, advantage, or avail (to): It boots thee not to complain.
- to boot, in addition; besides: We received an extra week's pay to boot.
Origin of boot
2boot
3- booty; spoil; plunder.
Origin of boot
3Related Words for boot
footwear, knock, shove, eject, expel, bounce, evict, reset, reboot, oxford, brogan, galoshes, waders, cut, fire, dismiss, terminate, chuck, sackExamples from the Web for boot
Contemporary Examples of boot
Season three was the strongest one the series has produced yet, to boot.
15 Enraging Golden Globe TV Snubs and Surprises: Amy Poehler, 'Mad Men' & MoreKevin Fallon
December 11, 2014
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.
Acts of violence include death by hanging, rifle butt, boot heel, tank tracks and fireball.
Historical Examples of boot
I'll trade this chestnut—and he's a fine traveler—with a good price to boot.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
But this time he saw only the foot of the woman clad in a man's boot.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
So saying, he thrust his boot into the snow, intending to kick it over the girl.
Rico and WiseliJohanna Spyri
"It wasn't anything," said Grant shortly, tugging at a boot.
Good IndianB. M. Bower
As well try to mend a spider's web when you have put your boot through it.
The Incomplete AmoristE. Nesbit
boot
1- a strong outer covering for the foot; shoe that extends above the ankle, often to the kneeSee also chukka boot, top boot, Wellington boots, surgical boot
- an enclosed compartment of a car for holding luggage, etc, usually at the rearUS and Canadian name: trunk
- a protective covering over a mechanical device, such as a rubber sheath protecting a coupling joining two shafts
- US and Canadian 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 kickhe gave the door a boot
- British slang an ugly person (esp in the phrase old boot)
- US slang a navy or marine recruit, esp one in training
- computing short for bootstrap (def. 4a)
- bet one's boots to be certainyou 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 of to 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 leg the situation is or has now reversed
- too big for one's boots self-important or conceited
- (tr) (esp in football) to kick
- (tr) to equip with boots
- (tr) informal
- (often foll by out)to eject forcibly
- to dismiss from employment
- Also: boot up to start up the operating system of (a computer) or (of a computer) to begin operating
Word Origin for boot
boot
2- archaic to be of advantage or use to (a person)what boots it to complain?
- obsolete an advantage
- dialect something given in addition, esp to equalize an exchangea ten pound boot to settle the bargain
- to boot as well; in additionit's cold and musty, and damp to boot
Word Origin for boot
Word Origin and History for boot
footwear, early 14c., from Old French bote "boot" (12c.), with corresponding words in Provençal and Spanish, of unknown origin, perhaps from a Germanic source. Originally for riding boots only. An old Dorsetshire word for "half-boots" was skilty-boots [Halliwell, Wright].
"profit, use," Old English bot "help, relief, advantage; atonement," literally "a making better," from Proto-Germanic *boto (see better (adj.)). Cf. German Buße "penance, atonement," Gothic botha "advantage." Now mostly in phrase to boot (Old English to bote).
"start up a computer," 1975, from bootstrap (v.), a 1958 derived verb from bootstrap (n.) in the computer sense.
"to kick," 1877, American English, from boot (n.1). Generalized sense of "eject, kick out" is from 1880. Related: Booted; booting.
Idioms and Phrases with boot
boot
In addition to the idioms beginning with boot
- boot out
- boot up
also see:
- 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)
Also see undershoe.