1
as in jumping
to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise)
I bolted as I read the winning lottery numbers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in racing
to proceed or move quickly
the cat bolted for the food dish the minute he spied it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in retreating
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the rabbit bolted when it saw the fox approaching
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in exclaiming
to utter with a sudden burst of strong feeling
bolted out the cuss word without thinking
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in inhaling
to swallow or eat greedily
the way you bolted those hot dogs, it's no wonder you're feeling a little queasy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rushing
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bolting
Bessemer Venture Partners, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
As reports from the Ukraine war show, taking a drone and bolting a Claymore mine to it isn't new.
—New Atlas, 24 Aug. 2025
Temperatures consistently above 70ºF will cause bolting.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
But this isn’t simply about bolting on features.
—Bessemer Venture Partners, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
As reports from the Ukraine war show, taking a drone and bolting a Claymore mine to it isn't new.
—New Atlas, 24 Aug. 2025
Temperatures consistently above 70ºF will cause bolting.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bolting
Verb
-
The performance had the crowd jumping thanks to his enthusiastic delivery.—
Stacy Lambe,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Throughout the story there are hints of ways Leo’s police department colleagues are sending him into retirement, including a cop jumping out of a cake wearing only a thong.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With campaign season descending, Republicans are now racing to convince the public that their tax cuts, tariffs, and spending cuts are worth returning them to power on the Hill.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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And given how the likes of Meta are racing to snap up top talent—sometimes with $100 million bonuses—the loss of key personnel could fatally affect a business’s ability to grow and innovate.—
Tiz Gambacorta,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Schools, churches, small shops that survived the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed over 300,000 are now a pile of rubble, part of the apocalyptic landscape left behind by the retreating forces that control almost all of Haiti’s capital.—
Johnny Fils-Aimé,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Water is rapidly replacing ice along the coastal plain of southeastern Alaska, where glaciers are thinning and retreating, with meltwater forming lakes off of their fronts, NASA says.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Most sneezes are triggered by contact with infectious agents or after inhaling irritants, but the cause of photic sneezing is not fully understood.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Sep. 2025
-
To fill the void, Potato grabbed his dad's shirt and cuddled with it, inhaling the scent of his human.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Before the new regulations, says Annie Inglis, Marine Biology Presenter with Quark, the expedition crew would be hurrying to get guests in Zodiacs to try to get closer to a bear sighting like this.—
Cassidy Randall,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Bolsonaro is under house arrest, surrounded by guards to prevent him from fleeing to a foreign embassy to request asylum.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Campuses are also a common site for hoax active shooter reports, which often causes mass panic and sends students fleeing for safety.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Kuching, the capital of Sarawak on the island of Borneo, isn't shouting about its commitment to sustainability.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Then, Suarez moved to another part of the field, where he is seen shouting, stepping on the foot of Sounders head of security Gene Ramirez and spitting on him.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This is not New York City in the 1990s but the Santa Fe of today—specifically, devouring tortilla soup and chiles rellenos at Tomasita’s, shopping at Desert Moss Vintage, and admiring the artwork at GF Contemporary, in the town’s gallery district on Canyon Road.—
Ashley Baker,
Air Mail,
16 Aug. 2025
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Medellín notes that just one species along Mexico’s northern borders numbers up to 30 million individuals, collectively devouring about 300 tons of insects every night.—
Anna Tunkova,
CNN Money,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bolting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bolting. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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