boot

[ boot ]

/ but /

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

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.

Origin of boot

1275–1325; Middle English bote < Anglo-French, Old French; of uncertain origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for die with one's boots on (1 of 2)

boot

/ (buːt) /

noun

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

verb

(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

C14 bote, from Old French, of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for die with one's boots on (2 of 2)

boot

/ (buːt) /

verb (usually impersonal)

archaic to be of advantage or use to (a person)what boots it to complain?

noun

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

Old English bōt compensation; related to Old Norse bōt remedy, Gothic bōta, Old High German buoza improvement

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for die with one's boots on (1 of 4)

boot

n.1

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].

Word Origin and History for die with one's boots on (1 of 4)

boot

n.2

"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).

Word Origin and History for die with one's boots on (2 of 4)

boot

v.2

"start up a computer," 1975, from bootstrap (v.), a 1958 derived verb from bootstrap (n.) in the computer sense.

Word Origin and History for die with one's boots on (3 of 4)

boot

v.1

"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 die with one's boots on (1 of 2)

die with one's boots on

Also, die in harness. Expire while working, keep working to the end, as in He'll never retire—he'll die with his boots on, or She knows she'll never get promoted, but she wants to die in harness. Both phrases probably allude to soldiers who died on active duty. Until the early 1600s the noun boot denoted a piece of armor for the legs, which may have given rise to this usage; and Shakespeare used harness in the sense of armor when he wrote: “At least we'll die with harness on our back” (Macbeth 5:5).

Idioms and Phrases with die with one's boots on (2 of 2)

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.

boot

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of boot

British Dictionary definitions for die with one's boots on (1 of 2)

boot

noun

verb

Word Origin for boot

British Dictionary definitions for die with one's boots on (2 of 2)

boot

verb (usually impersonal)

noun

Word Origin for boot

Word Origin and History for die with one's boots on (1 of 4)

boot

Word Origin and History for die with one's boots on (1 of 4)

boot

Word Origin and History for die with one's boots on (2 of 4)

boot

Word Origin and History for die with one's boots on (3 of 4)

boot

Idioms and Phrases with die with one's boots on (1 of 2)

die with one's boots on

Idioms and Phrases with die with one's boots on (2 of 2)

boot