bootstrap

noun

boot·strap | \ ˈbüt-ˌstrap

Definition of bootstrap

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a looped strap sewed at the side or the rear top of a boot to help in pulling it on

2 bootstraps plural : unaided efforts —often used in the phrase by one's own bootstraps

bootstrap

adjective

Definition of bootstrap (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : designed to function independently of outside direction : capable of using one internal function or process to control another a bootstrap operation to load a computer

2 : carried out with minimum resources or advantages bootstrap efforts

bootstrap

verb

bootstrapped; bootstrapping

Definition of bootstrap (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

: to promote or develop by initiative and effort with little or no assistance bootstrapped herself to the top … turns out to be pretty talented at identifying and bootstrapping promising creative endeavors.— Harry McCracken

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Examples of bootstrap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Here in bootstraps America, happiness is a state many moms find difficult to achieve. — Olivia Campbell, Good Housekeeping, "I've Struggled With Depression, So I Can't Always Be The "Happy" Mom," 8 July 2019 Yet even in Spider-Verse — a genuinely wonderful and magical movie — Miles’s presence in a magnet school is an easy shorthand for a talented kid from a working-class background pulling himself up by his bootstraps. — Emily Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "Spider-Man: Far From Home turns a class-conscious hero into a tech bro," 3 July 2019 But their new bootstrap trick opened up a gold mine. — Quanta Magazine, "Physicists Uncover Geometric ‘Theory Space’," 23 Feb. 2017 Can’t pull yourself up by the bootstraps when centuries-old systems are designed to keep you from the damn boot. — Thomas Page Mcbee, Teen Vogue, "Kendrick Sampson on Masculinity, Race, and Why Men Should Be More Vulnerable," 26 Mar. 2019 Tyler Perry, himself somebody who made his own way, pulled himself up by the bootstraps, has offered Geoffrey a job. — Fox News, "Kellyanne Conway reacts to anonymous 'resistance' NYT op-ed," 5 Sep. 2018 Even so, this remains a scrappy, bootstraps racing league. — Mitchell Nicholson, Popular Mechanics, "The Great American Motorcycle Racing Revival," 7 Sep. 2018 The debilitating after-effects of trauma are antithetical to the American idea that people can pull themselves up by their bootstraps, Henry said. — John Schmid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Trauma reaches beyond urban centers like Milwaukee, speaker says. Just look at border fiasco.," 20 June 2018 Though the sentiment was in the right place, the weekend got off to a rocky start, and on the second day pulled itself up from its bootstraps. — Steven J. Horowitz, Billboard, "Kehlani, Tove Lo and Kim Petras Triumph at Pride LA 2018," 11 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

This feedback loop also allows the AI to quickly bootstrap itself out of a nearly blank-slate state of ignorance. — Quanta Magazine, "Clever Machines Learn How to Be Curious," 19 Sep. 2017 The first time Kia tried to bootstrap itself into the premium/entry luxury space was in 2012, with the K900 sedan. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "2018 Kia Stinger GT2: The Best German Car to Come Out of South Korea," 6 Apr. 2018 On top of sweat equity, Markkula sunk a substantial portion of his personal wealth into Apple and helped persuade others to bootstrap the firm. — Stephen Phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Troublemakers: Silicon Valley’s Coming of Age,’ by Leslie Berlin," 3 Nov. 2017 Immigrants, regardless of their merit coming in, tend to bootstrap themselves up in a remarkable way. — Roger Showley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Merit-based immigration: Good idea?," 10 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bootstrap.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near bootstrap

Statistics for bootstrap

Last Updated

26 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for bootstrap

The first known use of bootstrap was in 1875

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More Definitions for bootstrap

bootstrap

verb

Financial Definition of bootstrap

What It Is

Bootstrapping refers to the efforts of an entrepreneur to start a business using his own assets as the source of capital.

Bootstrapping can also refer to a highly-leveraged transaction when an investor acquires a controlling interest in a company, financing the transaction by using the assets of the company as collateral for the loan.

How It Works

Entrepreneurs typically apply for a business loan from a commercial bank or seek funding from independent investors. An entrepreneur who risks their own money as an initial source of venture capital is bootstrapping.

For example, someone who starts a business using $100,000 of their own money is bootstrapping.

In a highly-leveraged transaction, an investor obtains a loan to buy an interest in the company. The investor uses the assets of the company they are about to purchase as collateral for the loan.

Why It Matters

Bootstrapping frees the entrepreneur from having to pay interest on a loan or from having to share any potential profits with other investors. However, entrepreneurship involves significant risk. When personal funds are used to finance a new business, the person stands to lose not only the time invested but their own money as well.

Bootstrapping in leveraged transactions is extremely risky since the potential investor is using the company’s assets to service their loan.

Source: Investing Answers