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bolt¹ Definition

bolt (bōlt)

noun

  1. a short, heavy, often blunt arrow shot from a crossbow
  2. a flash of lightning; thunderbolt
  3. a sudden dash or movement
  4. a sliding bar for locking a door, gate, etc.
  5. a similar bar in a lock, moved by a key
  6. a threaded metal rod or pin for joining parts, having a head and usually used with a nut
  7. a roll (of cloth, paper, etc.) of a given length
  8. a jet or column (of some liquid)
  9. ☆ a bolting or withdrawal from one's party or group
  10. Firearms a sliding bar that pushes the cartridge into place, closes the breech, and extracts the empty cartridge case after firing

Etymology: ME & OE, akin to Ger bolzen < IE base *bheld-, to knock, strike

transitive verb

  1. Archaic to shoot (an arrow, etc.)
  2. to say suddenly or unexpectedly; blurt (out)
  3. to swallow (food) hurriedly; gulp down
  4. to hold together or fasten with or as with a bolt
  5. to roll (cloth, etc.) into bolts
  6. ☆ to withdraw support from or abandon (a party, group, etc.)

intransitive verb

  1. to dash out suddenly; spring; dart
  2. to start suddenly and run away, as a horse
  3. ☆ to withdraw support from or abandon a party, group, etc.
  4. Hort. to produce seed prematurely

bolt¹ Idioms

bolt from the blue

  1. a thunderbolt from a clear sky
  2. a sudden, unforeseen occurrence, often an unfortunate one

bolt upright

straight up; erect or erectly

shoot one's bolt

to do one's utmost; exhaust one's capabilities

bolt² Definition

bolt (bōlt)

transitive verb

  1. to sift (flour, grain, etc.) so as to separate and grade
  2. Archaic to inspect and separate, as good from bad; examine closely

Etymology: ME bulten < OFr buleter, ? dissimilated < *bureter < bure (< VL *bura), coarse cloth; akin to It burattare < buratto, sieve

bolt Synonyms

bolt

n.

  1. A rod used for fastening

    screw, brad, nut, skewer, peg, dowel, rivet, pin, spike, stud, coupling, kingbolt, key, lag screw, toggle bolt, pin, pipe, rod, bar, latch; see also lock 1, nail, screw.

  2. A roll of goods or paper

    cylinder, roll, length, package, spindle, curl, coil, spiral, twist.

  3. Lightning

    stroke of lightning, sheet of lightning, thunderbolt, flash, stroke, discharge, fulguration, shock.

bolt Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • lightning: The blink of its eye could cause bolts of lightning to flash; the flap of its wings could create thunder.

Converse of object

  • tighten: Use the four bolts to pull the whole assembly together slowly by tightening opposite bolts a little at a time.
  • undo: The answer was to undo the back bolt to allow the seat to be lifted to allow the nuts to be positioned.
  • lighten: Is this what he means by a " lightening bolt " ?
  • loosen: With an oval block it is necessary only to loosen the bolts.

Adjective modifier

  • allen: All you have to do is drill out the rivet that holds it in place and replace with the handily provided allen bolt.
  • k1: Pedestal base option can be bolted down with K1 rawl bolts, or K4 extended rawl bolts.
  • captive: Penetrating captive bolts kill the animals most quickly, and percussion is also effective, if they are stuck before they come round.

Modifies a noun

  • cropper: I reckon half the bikes stolen from the campus end up being ridden about beeston by 13 year olds with bolt croppers.
  • belay: A snow slope ( bolt belay ) continues down to the start of a rift.
  • rebelay: Final pitch ( P10, C6 ) 20m Y-hang from bolts for climbs; bolt rebelay.
  • upright: She was sitting bolt upright with her jaw set in a tight line, desperately trying not to laugh.
  • cutter: This will make it difficult to gain leverage by bracing one leg of a bolt cutter against the ground.
  • pistol: Each year, up to 230,000 cattle are not correctly stunned with the captive bolt pistol.

Noun used with modifier

  • rawl: Pedestal base option can be bolted down with K1 rawl bolts, or K4 extended rawl bolts.
  • lightning: The opening of the box is in the shape of lightning bolts.
  • crossbow: He pulled out a sack and tore it into thin strips and tied a few to each of half a dozen crossbow bolts.
  • mortice: French windows should have one pair of key mounted mortice security bolts or key operated surface mounted bolts.
  • pinch: Four of us can't manage to combine lifting the thing up with doing up the pinch bolts.
  • clamp: A modern coil condenser to match the coil should now be secured via a suitable mounting tag to the cam ring clamp bolt.
bolt Quotes

Onlyöbut this is rareö When a beloved hand is laid in ours, When, jaded with the rush and glare Of the interminable hours, Our eyes can in another's eyes read clear, When our world-deafened ear Is by the tones of a loved voice caressedö A bolt is shot back somewhere in our breast, And a lost pulse of feeling stirs again. The eye sinks inward, and the heart lies plain, And what we mean, we say, and what we would, we know.

—Arnold, Matthew

Browse dictionary entries near bolt

  1. ‹ bolster
  2. ‹ bolson
  3. ‹ bolshie
  4. ‹ bolsheviki
  5. ‹ Bolshevik
  6. ‹ Bolsa Mexicana de Valores
  7. ‹ Bolsa de Madrid
  8. ‹ bolsa
  9. ‹ boloney
  10. ‹ bolometer
  1. bolt-hole ›
  2. bolter ›
  3. Bolton ›
  4. boltonia ›
  5. boltrope ›
  6. Boltzmann constant ›
  7. bolus ›
  8. Bolzano ›
  9. bomb ›
  10. bomb bay ›