bootstrap

American  

[boot-strap] / ˈbutˌstræp /

noun

1. a loop of leather or cloth sewn at the top rear, or sometimes on each side, of a boot to facilitate pulling it on.

2. a means of advancing oneself or accomplishing something.

   He used his business experience as a bootstrap to win voters.

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adjective

1. relying entirely on one's efforts and resources.

   The business was a bootstrap operation for the first ten years.

2. self-generating or self-sustaining.

   a bootstrap process.

verb (used with object)

bootstrapped, bootstrapping

1. Computers. boot.

2. to help (oneself) without the aid of others.

   She spent years bootstrapping herself through college.

idioms

1. pull oneself up by one's bootstraps, to help oneself without the aid of others; use one's resources.

   I admire him for pulling himself up by his own bootstraps.

bootstrap British  

/ ˈbuːtˌstræp /

noun

1. a leather or fabric loop on the back or side of a boot for pulling it on

2. by one's own efforts; unaided

3. (modifier) self-acting or self-sufficient, as an electronic amplifier that uses its output voltage to bias its input

4. 1. Also: boot.  a technique for loading the first few program instructions into a computer main store to enable the rest of the program to be introduced from an input device

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bootstrap loader

5. commerce an offer to purchase a controlling interest in a company, esp with the intention of purchasing the remainder of the equity at a lower price

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verb

1. to set up or achieve (something) using minimal resources

2. (foll by to) to attach (something) to a larger or more important thing

Etymology

Origin of bootstrap

First recorded in 1890–95; boot ¹ + strap

Example Sentences

In science-fiction scenarios of first contact with extraterrestrials, humans usually bootstrap a common language with mathematics, demonstrating that we know the digits of pi and so forth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

SilverSneakers represents just a small slice of that — the costs are not broken out by MedPAC — but it’s significant enough that the bootstrap venture has turned into a big business.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 5, 2025

I think she is deeply wrong to let the tobacco company bootstrap these gas stations onto their suit.

From Slate • Jun. 20, 2025

“Five years ago, I didn’t get any money at all. I had to bootstrap the company.”

From BBC • Oct. 21, 2024

A person who pulls himself up from a low environment via the bootstrap route has two choices.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Related Words

• reboot
• reset