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 Half of the original 12 NATO countries — France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark and Norway — had been overrun and occupied by Nazi Germany and were only liberated from the genocidal regime’s jackboot four years earlier. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 14 July 2024 At the same time, Egyptians came to see that their country's foreign policy was being warped for the sake of U.S. largesse -- and that the jackboots of the Interior Ministry awaited those who objected too loudly to this bargain. Steven A. Cook, Foreign Affairs, 2 Feb. 2011 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

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 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

jackboot

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

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