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

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

These are the words that greet players when they boot up Abubakar Salim's debut video game - Tales of Kenzera: Zau.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2024

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

Here’s the part that still remains very much in effect, every time you boot up Zoom:

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2023

“Brought the roses back to his cheeks, suggesting he give away his dragon hoard. I’ve been too soft on him. What he really needed was a boot up the rear end.”

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer