jackboot

noun

jack·​boot ˈjak-ˌbüt How to pronounce jackboot (audio)
1
a
: a heavy military boot made of glossy black leather extending above the knee and worn especially during the 17th and 18th centuries
b
: a laceless military boot reaching to the calf
2
: the spirit or policy of militarism or totalitarianism

Examples of jackboot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And a flawed democracy is better than the military jackboot. Ayesha Jalal, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2024 While the Germans sent mixed messages about peace overtures, the West just waited for the next jackboot to drop. Sam Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2015 As a rebuke to warmongers, a monument from one Hohenzollern despot to another seems inapt and more like a hint to keep those hobnail jackboots handy. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 1 Apr. 2023 Or two pebbles in the same jackboot? Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 6 June 2021 While Wilson was crushing market freedom under the state’s remorseless jackboot, the young people of Swinging London were shagging their brains out. Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 6 Sep. 2022 Instead of creating same-jackboot-different-day dystopias like Logan's Run or Make Room! Madeline Ashby, Wired, 1 Dec. 2021 There’s simply no other way to characterize Waldegrave and Henderson in light of this accusation than as jackboot Jacobins with nothing to their name but fourth-rate moral fiber and an axe to grind. Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 4 Dec. 2020 But then the other shoe — or jackboot — dropped, and any celebration of Tokarczuk’s work was hijacked by a fresh controversy: The Swedish Academy awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in literature to Peter Handke. Ron Charles, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jackboot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of jackboot was in 1686

Dictionary Entries Near jackboot

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

jackboot

noun
jack·​boot -ˌbüt How to pronounce jackboot (audio)
: a heavy military boot
especially : one reaching above the knee

More from Merriam-Webster on jackboot

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!