Link Centre Dictionary

bolt

UK/bɒlt/ US/bəʊlt/ fairly common us
noun (7) verb (7) adverb (2)

noun

1.
2.

a sliding bar in a breech-loading firearm that ejects an empty cartridge and replaces it and closes the breech

3.

the part of a lock that is engaged or withdrawn with a key

Synonyms
4.

the act of moving with great haste

  • “he made a dash for the door”
Synonyms
5.
6.

a screw that screws into a nut to form a fastener

7.

verb

1.

move or jump suddenly

  • “She bolted from her seat”
2.

secure or lock with a bolt

  • “bolt the door”
Antonyms
3.
4.

run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along

  • “The thief made off with our silver”
  • “the accountant absconded with the cash from the safe”
Synonyms
5.

leave suddenly and as if in a hurry

  • “The listeners bolted when he discussed his strange ideas”
  • “When she started to tell silly stories, I ran out”
Synonyms
6.

eat hastily without proper chewing

  • “Don”
Synonyms
7.

make or roll into bolts

  • “bolt fabric”

adverb

1.

in a rigid manner

  • “the body was rigidly erect”
  • “ge sat bolt upright”
Synonyms
2.

directly

  • “he ran bang into the pole”
  • “ran slap into her”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English bolt, from Old English bolt, from Proto-West Germanic *bolt, from Proto-Germanic *bultaz, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeld- (“to knock, strike”). Compare Lithuanian beldu (“I knock”), baldas (“pole for striking”). Akin to Dutch and West Frisian bout, German Bolz or Bolzen, Danish bolt, Swedish bult, Icelandic bolti. The association of thunder and lightning with 'bolts' is found back into prehistory in many cultures, at least in Eurasia. It comes from the long-standing widespread belief that lightning was caused by bolts, darts, or stones hurtling down from the sky to the earth. This belief was still regarded as commonplace until at least 1929.

Phrases

  • Allen bolt
  • banjo bolt
  • bolt action
  • bolt bucket
  • bolt circle
  • bolt cropper
  • bolt cutter
  • bolt down
  • bolt from the blue
  • bolt in
  • bolt to the bran

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

Pertaining to

Parts

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.