bootstrap
noun
a loop of leather or cloth sewn at the top rear, or sometimes on each side, of a boot to facilitate pulling it on.
bootstraps
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pluralof bootstrap.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
-
present tense formof bootstrap (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
bootstrapnouna loop of leather or cloth sewn at the top rear, or sometimes on each side, of a boot to facilitate pulling it on.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He had no experience in elected office, no notable history of activist organizing, no college degree, no significant success in the private sector, not even a record of pulling himself up by his proverbial bootstraps.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026
Those who pull themselves up by the bootstraps should be able to attain a life materially more comfortable than their parents’.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
Pulling up your bootstraps and spraying some tough on it is important.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2025
We didn’t literally pull ourselves up by the bootstraps or walk to school through the snow without shoes.
From Salon ● Jan. 26, 2025
Teachers exhorted us to be like him, to lift ourselves from poverty by our bootstraps.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
