boot up

Idioms  

1. Start a computer, as in When you've booted up, it's best not to turn off the computer until you're done for the day. The term, dating from the late 1970s, was a shortening of bootstrap, another computer idiom referring to using one set of instructions to load another set of instructions. Also see log in.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

boot up

The first thing I did with the device was boot up something known for its vibrant colours - 2019's Persona 5 Royal - to see how good the screen looks.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2025

So every day after school, I’d sprint down to my family’s basement and boot up our enormous Gateway 2000 computer.

From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2025

The region boasts the largest reserves of lithium in the world, which make up the lithium-ion batteries that boot up the electronic devices used by billions around the globe.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 11, 2024

Electricity was turned off across the country during low usage hours overnight to conserve fuel across the country, leaving technicians unable to boot up the system all at once after daybreak, officials said.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 23, 2023

The computer would still boot up, but it couldn’t read the drive.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

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