bolt

1 of 5

noun (1)

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: the part of a lock that is shot or withdrawn by the key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

Illustration of bolt

Illustration of bolt
  • bolt 3

bolt

2 of 5

verb (1)

bolted; bolting; bolts

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

1
: to secure with a bolt
bolt the door
2
: to attach or fasten with bolts
3
: to eat hastily or without chewing
bolted his breakfast
4
: to break away from or refuse to support (something, such as a political party)
5
: to say impulsively : blurt
6
a
: flush, start
bolt rabbits
b
archaic : shoot, discharge

bolt

3 of 5

adverb

1
: in an erect or straight-backed position : rigidly
sat bolt upright
2
archaic : directly, straight

bolt

4 of 5

noun (2)

: the act or an instance of bolting

bolt

5 of 5

verb (2)

bolted; bolting; bolts

transitive verb

1
: to sift usually through fine-meshed cloth
bolt flour
2
archaic : sift sense 2

Examples of bolt in a Sentence

Adverb She sat bolt upright, staring straight ahead.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
However, a photo shared by Boeing employees on Sept. 19 after it was removed for a repair shows three of four key bolts missing, with a fourth not visible in the picture. Lori Aratani, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 In January, a door plug in the fuselage of an almost new Boeing 737 Max 9 was sucked off due to multiple bolts missing. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 Preliminary results of an investigation by the National Transportation and Safety Board into the incident found that four key bolts meant to hold the door plug in place were missing from the aircraft. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2024 But the reason that the door plug, and the missing bolts, were removed by Boeing was that the fuselage arrived at Boeing’s factory with problems with five rivets that had been done by Spirit AeroSystems. Chris Isidore, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 There have been some notable failures in the system over the last several months, including a number of derailments owing to various causes — human error, faulty tracks, vandalism and perhaps, in one case, loose bolts. David Waldstein, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 About 381,000 Toyota Tacoma trucks are being recalled by the Japanese auto manufacturer due to issues with bolts on the vehicles’ rear axle. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024 It was discovered the door on that flight had been missing bolts prior to takeoff, leading to the FAA announcing an investigation into Boeing’s manufacturing practices and production line. Molly Bohannon, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Affected customers can go to Chrysler or Jeep dealers, who will replace the upper control arm’s pinch bolts for free. Ty Roush, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
It’s bolted to a 9 speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, and then routed into an all wheel drive traction control system, with intelligent traction management and hill start assist. Tony Leopardo, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 Corporate networks bolt an old legal structure, C-corporations and LLCs and the like, onto a new network structure. Chris Dixon, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024 It’s bolted to an 8 speed electronic CVT continuously variable transmission and sent into an AWD traction control system. Tony Leopardo, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 The track bolted back into the top 10 on the chart, entering the region for the first time in months. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 State bolted to a 16-2 lead on the way to a 19-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Curt Rallo, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024 The Griffins bolted to a 12-0 lead and stretched that to 21-3. Steve Fryer, Orange County Register, 10 Feb. 2024 The Niners, meanwhile, had crashed and burned after Jim Harbaugh bolted from the Bay, bottoming out with a 2-14 dumpster fire in the fall of 2016. Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 2 Feb. 2024 The supplemental grant for bracing and bolting a home is $7,000 in Northern California, $2,650 in Southern California; smaller amounts are available for bolting only. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German bolz crossbow bolt, and perhaps to Lithuanian beldėti to beat

Verb (2)

Middle English bulten, from Anglo-French buleter, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle High German biuteln to sift, from biutel bag, from Old High German būtil

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1577, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bolt was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bolt

Cite this Entry

“Bolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bolt. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bolt

1 of 3 noun
1
: 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 verb
1
: 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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