bolt

¹

[bohlt]

noun

1. a movable bar or rod that when slid into a socket fastens a door, gate, etc.

2. the part of a lock that is shot from and drawn back into the case, as by the action of the key.

3. any of several types of strong fastening rods, pins, or screws, usually threaded to receive a nut.

4. a sudden dash, run, flight, or escape.

5. a sudden desertion from a meeting, political party, social movement, etc.

6. a length of woven goods, especially as it comes on a roll from the loom.

7. a roll of wallpaper.

8. Bookbinding.,  the three edges of a folded sheet that must be cut so that the leaves can be opened.

9. a rod, bar, or plate that closes the breech of a breechloading rifle, especially a sliding rod or bar that shoves a cartridge into the firing chamber as it closes the breech.

10. a jet of water, molten glass, etc.

11. an arrow, especially a short, heavy one for a crossbow.

12. a shaft of lightning; thunderbolt.

13. a length of timber to be cut into smaller pieces.

14. a slice from a log, as a short, round piece of wood used for a chopping block.

verb (used with object)

1. to fasten with or as with a bolt.

2. to discontinue support of or participation in; break with.

   to bolt a political party.

3. to shoot or discharge (a missile), as from a crossbow or catapult.

4. to utter hastily; say impulsively; blurt out.

5. to swallow (one's food or drink) hurriedly.

   She bolted her breakfast and ran to school.

6. to make (cloth, wallpaper, etc.) into bolts.

7. Fox Hunting.,  (of hounds) to force (a fox) into the open.

verb (used without object)

1. to make a sudden, swift dash, run, flight, or escape; spring away suddenly.

   The rabbit bolted into its burrow.

   Synonyms: bound, flee, scoot, speed, fly, run, rush, dash

2. to break away, as from one's political party.

3. to eat hurriedly or without chewing.

4. Horticulture.,  to produce flowers or seeds prematurely.

adverb

1. Archaic.,  with sudden meeting or collision; suddenly.

bolt

²

[bohlt]

verb (used with object)

1. to sift through a cloth or sieve.

2. to examine or search into, as if by sifting.

bolt

¹

/ bəʊlt /

noun

1. a bar that can be slid into a socket to lock a door, gate, etc

2. a bar or rod that forms part of a locking mechanism and is moved by a key or a knob

3. a metal rod or pin that has a head at one end and a screw thread at the other to take a nut

4. a sliding bar in a breech-loading firearm that ejects the empty cartridge, replaces it with a new one, and closes the breech

5. a flash of lightning

6. a sudden start or movement, esp in order to escape

   they made a bolt for the door

7. a sudden desertion, esp from a political party

8. a roll of something, such as cloth, wallpaper, etc

9. an arrow, esp for a crossbow

10. printing a folded edge on a sheet of paper that is removed when cutting to size

11. mechanical engineering short for expansion bolt

12. a sudden, unexpected, and usually unwelcome event

13. to exhaust one's effort

    the runner had shot his bolt

verb

1. (tr) to secure or lock with or as with a bolt or bolts

   bolt your doors

2. (tr) to eat hurriedly

   don't bolt your food

3. (intr; usually foll by from or out) to move or jump suddenly

   he bolted from the chair

4. (intr) (esp of a horse) to start hurriedly and run away without warning

5. (tr) to roll or make (cloth, wallpaper, etc) into bolts

6. to desert (a political party, etc)

7. (intr) (of cultivated plants) to produce flowers and seeds prematurely

8. (tr) to cause (a wild animal) to leave its lair; start

   terriers were used for bolting rats

adverb

1. stiffly, firmly, or rigidly (archaic except in the phrase bolt upright )

Bolt

²

/ bəʊlt /

noun

1. Robert ( Oxton ). 1924–95, British playwright. His plays include A Man for All Seasons (1960) and he also wrote a number of screenplays

2. Usain (juːˈseɪn). born 1986, Jamaican athlete: winner of the 100 metres and the 200 metres in the 2008 Olympic Games, setting world records at both distances

bolt

³

/ bəʊlt /

verb

1. to pass (flour, a powder, etc) through a sieve

2. to examine and separate

Other Word Forms

• bolter noun
• boltless adjective
• boltlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bolt¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun bolt, bold, bote “(crossbow) bolt, (lightning) bolt, (door) bolt, (cloth) bolt,” Old English bolt “arrow, (crossbow) bolt, catapult”; cognate with Dutch bout, German Bolz

Origin of bolt²

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English bulten, bolten, bouten, from Old French bul(e)ter, variant of unrecorded buteler, from Germanic; compare Middle High German biuteln “to sift,” derivative of biutel, Old High German būtil “bag,” whence German Beutel

Word History and Origins

Origin of bolt¹

Old English bolt arrow; related to Old High German bolz bolt for a crossbow

Origin of bolt²

C13: from Old French bulter , probably of Germanic origin; compare Old High German būtil bag

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. bolt upright, stiffly upright; rigidly straight.

   The explosive sound caused him to sit bolt upright in his chair.

2. bolt from the blue, a sudden and entirely unforeseen event: Also bolt out of the blue.

   His decision to leave college was a bolt from the blue for his parents.

3. shoot one's bolt, to make an exhaustive effort or expenditure.

   The lawyer shot his bolt the first day of the trial and had little to say thereafter.

More idioms and phrases containing bolt

• nuts and bolts
• shoot one's bolt

Example Sentences

Not only is that wall of weights always precisely arranged, but every lightning bolt is arched in an identical way.

From Los Angeles Times

He called the mayor's measures "palliative", and a case of "closing the barn door after the horse has bolted".

From BBC

At the time, officers seized six air weapons, a samurai sword, three crossbows and bolts, six knives and a stun gun.

From BBC

In fact, trying to hold yourself bolt upright all day could do more harm than good, he told Morning Live.

From BBC

The officer, who was hit by a bolt in the leg, made a full recovery and returned to duty.

From BBC

Related Words

• bound 
• dart 
• dash 
• drop out 
• dump 
• escape 
• flee 
• jump 
• leap 
• rush 
• scamper 
• scoot 
• skip 
• sprint 
• take off