bolt upright
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I sat bolt upright, moving my lips with nothing coming out.
From New York Times ● Jun. 5, 2022
I have watched Holmes sit bolt upright at the defense table as her lawyers slowly wilt.
From The Verge ● Dec. 9, 2021
Typically bolt upright in her chair and staring straight ahead, Holmes has remained impassive as even one-time supporters testified to their misgivings about her actions while leading Theranos.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2021
In court, she sat bolt upright, poised, attentive, as she listened to the case against her.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2021
A while later a knock on the door prompts me to bolt upright, confused.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
