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 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 As with arguably all of the artist’s works, the naked man is unreasonably handsome; glossy jackboots of uniformed men surround him. R. Daniel Foster, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2019 As the Nazis seize power and stamp down their jackboots on Jewish communities and left-leaning intellectuals throughout Europe, many flee to the United States. Trevor Lipscombe, Time, 2 Aug. 2019 See More

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 22 Sep. 2023.

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

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