bolt

verb

Definition of boltnext
1
as in to jump
to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise) I bolted as I read the winning lottery numbers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to race
to proceed or move quickly the cat bolted for the food dish the minute he spied it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to fly
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening the rabbit bolted when it saw the fox approaching

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to exclaim
to utter with a sudden burst of strong feeling bolted out the cuss word without thinking

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in to inhale
to swallow or eat greedily the way you bolted those hot dogs, it's no wonder you're feeling a little queasy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bolt Communication, in her view, isn't a soft skill bolted onto clinical training. — Kwame Christian Esq, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 Against Seattle, the Storm bolted to a 21-13 lead after one quarter and held firm from there. — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 1 July 2026 Oregon and Washington soon bolted, also for the Big Ten, and eventually Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah joined the Big 12, and Cal and Stanford joined the ACC. — Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 1 July 2026 Ujiri engineered the trade in 2018 that brought Leonard to the Raptors without the player agreeing to an extension, and the result was a championship followed by Leonard bolting to the Clippers. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bolt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bolt
  1. jump
  2. race
  3. fly
  4. exclaim
  5. inhale
  6. startle
  7. speed
  8. flee
Verb
  • Jacy Jayne Before the match started, Fatal Influence jumped Tiffany Stratton, but Brie Bella hit the ring and made the save.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • Scotland set up in a 5-4-1 with Ryan Christie and John McGinn timing when to jump from their wide midfield positions to press the centre-backs and trap their build-up play.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 18 July 2026
Definition of jump
Verb
  • Moments later the Tesla Model 3 raced down a residential street in Katy, Texas, at highway speeds, slammed into a brick home and killed a 76-year-old woman standing in the front room.
    — Bernard Condon, Fortune, 16 July 2026
  • Jordan Cvetanovski, chairman and chief investment officer at Pella Funds, said demand for AI infrastructure remains strong as companies race to build computing capacity, but signs of speculative excess are beginning to emerge.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 15 July 2026
Definition of race
Verb
  • Adeline André will close out the official calendar in Paris, on Thursday at 4pm, while a number of attendees will fly to Rome for the Fendi show that evening at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea.
    — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 6 July 2026
  • Norway and Brazil were locked in a tense, back-and-forth game Sunday, in the round of 16, until Haaland came flying in with that header to give Norway a 1-0 lead.
    — Tim Rohan, NBC news, 6 July 2026
Definition of fly
Verb
  • Lee, 31, exclaimed, and the pair, mere moments after meeting, snapped a selfie as Gonzalez, 28, presented his Korean bulgogi beef quesadilla to the camera with a grin.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
  • Navarro exclaimed, just before the show cut away to an ad.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026
Definition of exclaim
Verb
  • Dangers from wildfire smoke Smoke is made up of tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into a person's lungs and even enter the bloodstream.
    — Ava Berger, NPR, 16 July 2026
  • Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia typically contracted by inhaling tiny water droplets contaminated with Legionella bacteria.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of inhale
Verb
  • Pochettino’s sources of American sports culture inspiration There were some aspects of American culture, and specifically American sports culture, that clearly startled Pochettino.
    — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • Today Twain would be startled by the passivity of a once-mighty Congress that has all but crumbled in the face of pressure from the White House.
    — Ron Chernow, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Definition of startle
Verb
  • The Space Development Agency was established in 2019 to help speed up the deployment of US military space systems by sidestepping the Pentagon’s traditional sluggish bureaucracy.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026
  • Beyond producing highly uniform nanowires, the technique speeds up materials research.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026
Definition of speed
Verb
  • By the time police arrived at the scene, the suspect had already fled.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 14 July 2026
  • In 1940, Goudstikker fled the Netherlands during the country’s invasion by Nazi Germany, leaving behind his collection of some 1,400 paintings, mostly Old Master works.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of flee

Phrases Containing bolt

Browse Nearby Words

bolsters
bolt
bolted
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Cite this Entry

“Bolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bolt. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on bolt

Nglish: Translation of bolt for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bolt

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