boot

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
archaic : deliverance
2
: something to equalize a trade
3
obsolete : avail

boot

2 of 5

verb (1)

booted; booting; boots
archaic

boot

3 of 5

noun (2)

plural boots
1
: a fitted covering (as of leather or rubber) for the foot that usually reaches above the ankle
2
: an instrument of torture used to crush the leg and foot
3
: something that resembles or is likened to a boot
especially : an enclosing or protective casing or sheath (as for a rifle or over an electrical or mechanical connection)
4
: a navy or marine corps recruit undergoing basic training
5
British : an automobile trunk
6
a
: a kick with the foot
b
: summary dismissal
used with the
gave him the boot
c
: momentary pleasure or enjoyment : bang
got a big boot out of the joke
7
: a sheath enclosing the inflorescence
8
9
: the act of booting or rebooting a computer or the process by which a computer is booted see boot entry 4 sense 5b
A cold boot is starting up a computer whose power has been turned off. A warm boot involves restarting the system while it is running …J. D. Biersdorfer
often used before another noun
a boot disk

boot

4 of 5

verb (2)

booted; booting; boots

transitive verb

1
: to put boots on
2
a
: kick
b
: to eject or discharge summarily
often used with out
was booted out of office
3
: to make an error on (a grounder in baseball)
broadly : botch
4
: to ride (a horse) in a race
booted home three winners
5
a
: to load (a program) into a computer from a disk
b
: to start or ready for use especially by booting a program
boot a computer
often used with up

intransitive verb

1
: to become loaded into a computer's memory from a disk
the program boots automatically
2
: to become ready for use especially by booting a program
the computer boots quickly
often used with up
bootable adjective

boot

5 of 5

noun (3)

archaic
Phrases
to boot

Examples of boot in a Sentence

Noun (2) the fans got a real boot out the team's lopsided victory over its longtime rivals Verb (2) he booted the answer of what should have been an easy question
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Swift seemingly went punk in her head-turning Dior look featuring a plaid bustier top with attached skirt, teamed with velvet hot pants and caged gloves, plus thigh-high Stuart Weitzman boots. Brittany Talarico, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2024 In addition to cardigan sweaters and boots, there’s the transitional jacket, a beloved autumnal classic. Alyssa Coscarelli, refinery29.com, 12 Sep. 2024 Completing the look with velvet shorts, thigh-high boots and gloves, the gown was straight from Dior’s 2025 Cruise collection, which drew inspiration from Scottish craft traditions and Mary, Queen of Scots. Stephy Chung, CNN, 12 Sep. 2024 The Eras Tour star stunned on the red carpet in a tartan corset and cape, thigh-high boots and fingerless gloves that stretched past her elbows. Bryan West, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for boot 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boot.' 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 bot, bote "advantage, good, relief, deliverance, redemption, amends, cure," Old English bōt "a making good, repair, relief, deliverance, remedy, improvement, atonement, penance, compensation," going back to Germanic *botō "improvement" — more at better entry 1

Note: Though its Old and Middle English predecessors were common nouns with numerous senses, boot now occurs rarely outside of the idiom to boot. This phrase is attested in the sense "to the advantage (of someone)" in Middle English ("to youre bote") and hence was generalized to "as an extra thing, into the bargain" and then "in addition, moreover."

Verb (1)

Middle English boten "to cure, relieve, add to equalize the value of things exchanged, be of use, avail," probably in part derivative of bot, bote "advantage, good, relief," in part going back to Old English botian "to recover from ill health, keep in repair," derivative of bōt "a making good, repair, relief" — more at boot entry 1

Noun (2)

(senses 1-8) Middle English bote, bot, boot, borrowed from Anglo-French bote (also continental Old French bote, botte), of uncertain origin; (sense 9) noun derivative of boot entry 4, sense 5

Note: The French word is traced to a putative Germanic base *butt- "blunt" in Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, along with a diverse group of phonetically similar words, but both the semantic and phonetic assumptions are questionable.

Verb (2)

(senses 1-4) Middle English boten "to put boots on," derivative of bote, bot boot entry 3; (sense 5) short for bootstrap in sense "to perform a bootstrap operation," derivative of bootstrap entry 2

Noun (3)

shortened from booty entry 1, perhaps by association with boot entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (3)

1598, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near boot

Cite this Entry

“Boot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boot. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

boot

1 of 3 noun
chiefly dialect
: something given to make a trade equal

boot

2 of 3 noun
1
: a covering usually of leather or rubber for the foot and part of the leg
2
b
: a rude dismissal or discharge
used with the
3
: a new member of the Navy or Marine Corps while in boot camp

boot

3 of 3 verb
1
: to put boots on
2
b
: to get rid of or dismiss rudely
often used with out
was booted out of the office
3
a
: to load (a program) into a computer from a disk
b
: to start or make ready for use especially by booting a program
boot a computer
Etymology

Noun

Old English bōt "remedy"

Noun

Middle English boot "a covering for the foot"

Legal Definition

boot

noun
: additional money or property received to make up the difference in an exchange of business or investment property that is of like kind but unequal in value

Note: Under Internal Revenue Code section 1031, no tax liability results from an exchange solely of like-kind property used in a business or trade or held for investment. If the exchange includes boot, however, under section 1245 the boot will be treated as ordinary income.

Etymology

Noun

obsolete or dialect boot compensation, from Old English bōt advantage, compensation

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