Illustration of bolt
- bolt 3
1
a
: a lightning stroke
also
: thunderbolt
b
: a shaft or missile designed to be shot from a crossbow or catapult
especially
: a short stout usually blunt-headed arrow
2
a
: a wood or metal bar or rod used to fasten a door
b
: the part of a lock that is shot or withdrawn by the key
3
: a metal rod or pin for fastening objects together that usually has a head at one end and a screw thread at the other and is secured by a nut
4
: a roll of cloth or wallpaper of specified length
5
: a metal cylinder that drives the cartridge into the chamber of a firearm, locks the breech, and usually contains the firing pin and extractor
6
a
: a block of timber to be sawed or cut
b
: a short round section of a log
bolted; bolting; bolts
1
: to move suddenly or nervously : start
2
: to move or proceed rapidly : dash
3
a
: to break away from control or a set course
b
: to dart off or away : flee
4
: to break away from or oppose one's previous affiliation (as with a political party or sports team)
5
: to produce seed prematurely
bolted; bolting; bolts
Synonyms
Examples of bolt in a Sentence
Adverb
She sat bolt upright, staring straight ahead.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary investigation found that jet left a Boeing factory in October without the four bolts needed to keep the door plug in place.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the panel was removed but appeared to have been reinstalled without bolts that secured it in place.
—Santul Nerkar, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Doby's contract was purchased out of the Negro National League in July 1947, and his insertion onto the Indians' roster during a road trip to Chicago was a lightning bolt.
—Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2024
These more or less three-inch shards peeled off titanium threads when workers installed the titanium bolts that secured the floor in these fly-by-wire planes.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024
While no actual bolts may have ever left his hands, Guzmán and Los Shinigamis del Norte have still managed to fill the world with explosive energy.
—Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024
One of its planes suffered a mid-flight blowout on January 5, prompting multiple federal investigations that increasingly suggest Boeing workers failed to put crucial bolts in place after making repairs.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
Others played with volume: Irina Shayk and Julia Fox wore bolts of tulle, while Chloe Bailey and Kelly Rowland’s skirts demanded our attention.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024
Michael H. Brown, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Many then well-remembered how the Kansas City Athletics bolted for Oakland in 1968.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
Their posts must be installed into the ground or bolted into a cement base.
—Samantha S. Thorpe, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2024
The Russian air force began bolting satellite-guidance kits and pop-out wings onto 1,100-pound and 3,300-pound KAB bombs in order to produce crude, but effective, precision glide-bombs.
—David Axe, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
The growth rate, whether measured sequentially or year over year, was unimpressive for a frame in which Netflix bolted on 13.1 million subscribers.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 Feb. 2024
The Rolls was originally powered by a giant 7.7-liter pushrod straight-six engine that was bolted directly to a four-speed manual gearbox.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 8 Feb. 2024
The iconic label, responsible for half of Kering’s annual sales, suffered as its rivals bolted forward when consumers splurged on luxury, losing valuable business and market share.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 20 Mar. 2024
They were joined at the hip, often a frequent daddy-daughter pairing at Baltimore Colts games before the NFL team bolted to Indianapolis.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 7 Feb. 2024
Noun
The love triangle comes to seem more tedious than tantalizing because of how staunchly this particular camera, which wrings transcendent compositions out of bolts and steel beams and mousetraps and blood, refuses to glamorize its very-good-looking principals.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary investigation found that jet left a Boeing factory in October without the four bolts needed to keep the door plug in place.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the panel was removed but appeared to have been reinstalled without bolts that secured it in place.
—Santul Nerkar, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Doby's contract was purchased out of the Negro National League in July 1947, and his insertion onto the Indians' roster during a road trip to Chicago was a lightning bolt.
—Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2024
These more or less three-inch shards peeled off titanium threads when workers installed the titanium bolts that secured the floor in these fly-by-wire planes.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024
While no actual bolts may have ever left his hands, Guzmán and Los Shinigamis del Norte have still managed to fill the world with explosive energy.
—Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024
One of its planes suffered a mid-flight blowout on January 5, prompting multiple federal investigations that increasingly suggest Boeing workers failed to put crucial bolts in place after making repairs.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
Others played with volume: Irina Shayk and Julia Fox wore bolts of tulle, while Chloe Bailey and Kelly Rowland’s skirts demanded our attention.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024
Verb
But party leaders were anxious to keep him from bolting to the Republicans.
—Michael H. Brown, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Many then well-remembered how the Kansas City Athletics bolted for Oakland in 1968.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
Their posts must be installed into the ground or bolted into a cement base.
—Samantha S. Thorpe, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2024
The Russian air force began bolting satellite-guidance kits and pop-out wings onto 1,100-pound and 3,300-pound KAB bombs in order to produce crude, but effective, precision glide-bombs.
—David Axe, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
The growth rate, whether measured sequentially or year over year, was unimpressive for a frame in which Netflix bolted on 13.1 million subscribers.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 Feb. 2024
The Rolls was originally powered by a giant 7.7-liter pushrod straight-six engine that was bolted directly to a four-speed manual gearbox.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 8 Feb. 2024
The iconic label, responsible for half of Kering’s annual sales, suffered as its rivals bolted forward when consumers splurged on luxury, losing valuable business and market share.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 20 Mar. 2024
They were joined at the hip, often a frequent daddy-daughter pairing at Baltimore Colts games before the NFL team bolted to Indianapolis.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 7 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bolt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Bolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bolt. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bolt
1 of 3 noun1
: a missile (as an arrow) for a crossbow or catapult
2
a
: a lightning stroke : thunderbolt
b
: a sudden surprise
a bolt from the blue
3
: a sliding bar used to fasten a door
4
: the part of a lock worked by a key
5
: a metal pin or rod usually with a head at one end and a screw thread at the other that is used to hold something in place
6
: a roll of cloth or wallpaper
7
: the device that closes the breech of a firearm
bolt
2 of 3 verb1
: to move suddenly or nervously
2
: to move rapidly : dash
reporters bolted for the door
3
: run away sense 1
the horse shied and bolted
4
: to break away from or oppose one's political party
5
: to say thoughtlessly : blurt
6
: to fasten with a bolt
7
: to swallow hastily or without chewing
bolter
noun
bolt
3 of 3 noun
: an act of bolting
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