Adjacent Words

Bolt definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BOLT,n. [L. pello.]
1. An arrow; a dart; a pointed shaft.
2. A strong cylindrical pin, of iron or other metal, used to fasten a door, a plank, a chain, etc. In ships, bolts are used in the sides and decks, and have different names, as rag-bolts, eye-bolts, ring-bolts,chain-bolts, etc. In gunnery, there are prise-bolts, transom-bolts, traverse-bolts, and bracket-bolts.
3. A thunder-bolt; a stream of lightning, so named from its darting like a bolt.
4. The quantity of twenty-eight ells of canvas.
BOLT, v.t. To fasten or secure with a bolt, or iron pin, whether a door, a plank, fetters or any thing else.
1. To fasten; to shackle; to restrain.
2. To blurt out; to utter or throw out precipitately.
I hate when vice can bolt her arguments.
In this sense it is often followed by out.
3. To sift or separate bran from flour. In America this term is applied only to the operation performed in mills.
4. Among sportsmen, to start or dislodge, used of coneys.
5. To examine by sifting; to open or separate the parts of a subject, to find the truth; generally followed by out. "Time and nature will bolt out the truth of things." [Inelegant.]
6. To purify; to purge. [Unusual.]
7. To discuss or argue; as at Gray's inn, where cases are privately discussed by students and barristers.
BOLT, v.i. To shoot forth suddenly; to spring out with speed and suddenness; to start forth like a bolt; commonly followed by out; as, to bolt out of the house, or out of a den.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder [syn: thunderbolt, bolt, bolt of lightning]
2: a sliding bar in a breech-loading firearm that ejects an empty cartridge and replaces it and closes the breech
3: the part of a lock that is engaged or withdrawn with a key [syn: bolt, deadbolt]
4: the act of moving with great haste; "he made a dash for the door" [syn: dash, bolt]
5: a roll of cloth or wallpaper of a definite length
6: a screw that screws into a nut to form a fastener
7: a sudden abandonment (as from a political party) v
1: move or jump suddenly; "She bolted from her seat"
2: secure or lock with a bolt; "bolt the door" [ant: unbolt]
3: swallow hastily
4: run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along; "The thief made off with our silver"; "the accountant absconded with the cash from the safe" [syn: abscond, bolt, absquatulate, decamp, run off, go off, make off]
5: leave suddenly and as if in a hurry; "The listeners bolted when he discussed his strange ideas"; "When she started to tell silly stories, I ran out" [syn: run off, run out, bolt, bolt out, beetle off]
6: eat hastily without proper chewing; "Don't bolt your food!" [syn: gobble, bolt]
7: make or roll into bolts; "bolt fabric" adv
1: in a rigid manner; "the body was rigidly erect"; "he sat bolt upright" [syn: rigidly, stiffly, bolt]
2: directly; "he ran bang into the pole"; "ran slap into her" [syn: bang, slap, slapdash, smack, bolt]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German bolz crossbow bolt, and perhaps to Lithuanian beld?ti to beat Date: before 12th century 1. a. a shaft or missile designed to be shot from a crossbow or catapult; especially a short stout usually blunt-headed arrow b. a lightning stroke; also thunderbolt 2. a. a wood or metal bar or rod used to fasten a door b. the part of a lock that is shot or withdrawn by the key 3. a roll of cloth or wallpaper of specified length 4. a metal rod or pin for fastening objects together that usually has a head at one end and a screw thread at the other and is secured by a nut 5. a. a block of timber to be sawed or cut b. a short round section of a log 6. a metal cylinder that drives the cartridge into the chamber of a firearm, locks the breech, and usually contains the firing pin and extractor II. verb Date: 13th century intransitive verb 1. to move suddenly or nervously ; start 2. to move or proceed rapidly ; dash 3. a. to dart off or away ; flee b. to break away from control or a set course 4. to break away from or oppose one's previous affiliation (as with a political party or sports team) 5. to produce seed prematurely transitive verb 1. a. archaic shoot, discharge b. flush, start <bolt rabbits> 2. to say impulsively ; blurt 3. to secure with a bolt <bolt the door> 4. to attach or fasten with bolts 5. to eat hastily or without chewing <bolted his breakfast> 6. to break away from or refuse to support (as a political party) III. adverb Date: 14th century 1. in an erect or straight-backed position ; rigidly <sat bolt upright> 2. archaic directly, straight IV. noun Date: 1550 the act or an instance of bolting V. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English bulten, from Anglo-French buleter, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle High German biuteln to sift, from biutel bag, from Old High German b?til Date: 13th century 1. to sift (as flour) usually through fine-meshed cloth 2. archaic sift 2

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n., v., & adv. --n. 1 a sliding bar and socket used to fasten or lock a door, gate, etc. 2 a large usu. metal pin with a head, usu. riveted or used with a nut, to hold things together. 3 a discharge of lightning. 4 an act of bolting (cf. sense 4 of v.); a sudden escape or dash for freedom. 5 hist. an arrow for shooting from a crossbow. 6 a roll of fabric (orig. as a measure). --v. 1 tr. fasten or lock with a bolt. 2 tr. (foll. by in, out) keep (a person etc.) from leaving or entering by bolting a door. 3 tr. fasten together with bolts. 4 intr. a dash suddenly away, esp. to escape. b (of a horse) suddenly gallop out of control. 5 tr. gulp down (food) unchewed; eat hurriedly. 6 intr. (of a plant) run to seed. --adv. (usu. in bolt upright) rigidly, stiffly. Phrases and idioms: a bolt from the blue a complete surprise. bolt-hole 1 a means of escape. 2 a secret refuge. shoot one's bolt do all that is in one's power. Derivatives: bolter n. (in sense 4 of v.). Etymology: OE bolt arrow 2. v.tr. (also boult) sift (flour etc.). Derivatives: bolter n. Etymology: ME f. OF bulter, buleter, of unkn. orig.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bolt Bolt, adv. In the manner of a bolt; suddenly; straight; unbendingly. [He] came bolt up against the heavy dragoon. --Thackeray. Bolt upright. (a) Perfectly upright; perpendicular; straight up; unbendingly erect. --Addison. (b) On the back at full length. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bolt Bolt, n. [From Bolt, v. i.] 1. A sudden spring or start; a sudden spring aside; as, the horse made a bolt. 2. A sudden flight, as to escape creditors. This gentleman was so hopelessly involved that he contemplated a bolt to America -- or anywhere. --Compton Reade. 3. (U. S. Politics) A refusal to support a nomination made by the party with which one has been connected; a breaking away from one's party.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bolt Bolt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bolted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bolting.] 1. To shoot; to discharge or drive forth.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bolt Bolt, n. [AS. bolt; akin to Icel. bolti, Dan. bolt, D. bout, OHG. bolz, G. bolz, bolzen; of uncertain origin.] 1. A shaft or missile intended to be shot from a crossbow or catapult, esp. a short, stout, blunt-headed arrow; a quarrel; an arrow, or that which resembles an arrow; a dart. Look that the crossbowmen lack not bolts. --Sir W. Scott. A fool's bolt is soon shot. --Shak. 2. Lightning; a thunderbolt. 3. A strong pin, of iron or other material, used to fasten or hold something in place, often having a head at one end and screw thread cut upon the other end. 4. A sliding catch, or fastening, as for a door or gate; the portion of a lock which is shot or withdrawn by the action of the key. 5. An iron to fasten the legs of a prisoner; a shackle; a fetter. [Obs.] Away with him to prison! lay bolts enough upon him. --Shak. 6. A compact package or roll of cloth, as of canvas or silk, often containing about forty yards. 7. A bundle, as of oziers. Bolt auger, an auger of large size; an auger to make holes for the bolts used by shipwrights. Bolt and nut, a metallic pin with a head formed upon one end, and a movable piece (the nut) screwed upon a thread cut upon the other end. See B, C, and D, in illust. above. Note: See Tap bolt, Screw bolt, and Stud bolt.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bolt Bolt (b[=o]lt; 110), v. i. 1. To start forth like a bolt or arrow; to spring abruptly; to come or go suddenly; to dart; as, to bolt out of the room. This Puck seems but a dreaming dolt, . . . And oft out of a bush doth bolt. --Drayton. 2. To strike or fall suddenly like a bolt. His cloudless thunder bolted on their heads. --Milton. 3. To spring suddenly aside, or out of the regular path; as, the horse bolted. 4. (U.S. Politics) To refuse to support a nomination made by a party or a caucus with which one has been connected; to break away from a party.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bolt Bolt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bolted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bolting.] [OE. bolten, boulten, OF. buleter, F. bluter, fr. Ll. buletare, buratare, cf. F. bure coarse woolen stuff; fr. L. burrus red. See Borrel, and cf. Bultel.] 1. To sift or separate the coarser from the finer particles of, as bran from flour, by means of a bolter; to separate, assort, refine, or purify by other means. He now had bolted all the flour. --Spenser. Ill schooled in bolted language. --Shak. 2. To separate, as if by sifting or bolting; -- with out. Time and nature will bolt out the truth of things. --L'Estrange. 3. (Law) To discuss or argue privately, and for practice, as cases at law. --Jacob. To bolt to the bran, to examine thoroughly, so as to separate or discover everything important. --Chaucer. This bolts the matter fairly to the bran. --Harte. The report of the committee was examined and sifted and bolted to the bran. --Burke.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bolt Bolt, n. A sieve, esp. a long fine sieve used in milling for bolting flour and meal; a bolter. --B. Jonson.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bolts, bolting, bolted) 1. A bolt is a long metal object which screws into a nut and is used to fasten things together. N-COUNT 2. When you bolt one thing to another, you fasten them firmly together, using a bolt. The safety belt is easy to fit as there's no need to bolt it to seat belt anchorage points... Bolt the components together... ...a wooden bench which was bolted to the floor. VERB: V n to n, V n with together/on, V-ed 3. A bolt on a door or window is a metal bar that you can slide across in order to fasten the door or window. I heard the sound of a bolt being slowly and reluctantly slid open. N-COUNT 4. When you bolt a door or window, you slide the bolt across to fasten it. He reminded her that he would have to lock and bolt the kitchen door after her. ...the heavy bolted doors . VERB: V n, V-ed 5. If a person or animal bolts, they suddenly start to run very fast, often because something has frightened them. The pig rose squealing and bolted... I made some excuse and bolted for the exit. VERB: V, V prep/adv 6. If you bolt your food, you eat it so quickly that you hardly chew it or taste it. Being under stress can cause you to miss meals, eat on the move, or bolt your food. VERB: V n • Bolt down means the same as bolt. Back then I could bolt down three or four burgers and a pile of French fries. PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P 7. A bolt of lightning is a flash of lightning that is seen as a white line in the sky. Suddenly a bolt of lightning crackled through the sky. N-COUNT: N of n 8. If someone is sitting or standing bolt upright, they are sitting or standing very straight. When I pushed his door open, Trevor was sitting bolt upright in bed. PHRASE: usu v PHR 9. nuts and bolts: see nut

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

bolt (na`al, "to bind up"): The ancient Hebrews had fastenings of wood or iron for the doors of houses (2Sa 13:17,18; So 5:5), city gates (Ne 3:3,6,13-15), prison doors, etc. (Isa 45:2), which were in the form of bolts. These were sometimes pushed back from within; but there were others which, by means of a key, could be unfastened and pushed back from without (Jud 3:23 ff). These were almost the only form of locks known.

See BAR; LOCKS.

In Hab 3:5, resheph (a poetic word for "flame") is rendered "fiery bolts" (the King James Version "burning coals"). It seems to denote "the fiery bolts, by which Yahweh was imagined to produce pestilence or fever" (Driver, Deuteronomy, 367).

M. O. Evans

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Arrow, dart, shaft, missile. 2. Thunderbolt, stroke of lightning. 3. Metal pin or fastening. 4. Sieve. II. v. a. 1. Fasten with a bolt or bolts. 2. Swallow (without chewing), gulp down, swallow whole. 3. Sift, pass through a sieve. III. v. n. 1. Bounce, start suddenly, spring out abruptly. 2. Abscond, make off rapidly, run away, leave suddenly.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A blunt arrow.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To run suddenly out of one's house, or hiding place, through fear; a term borrowed from a rabbit-warren, where the rabbits are made to bolt, by sending ferrets into their burrows: we set the house on fire, and made him bolt. To bolt, also means to swallow meat without chewing: the farmer's servants in Kent are famous for bolting large quantities of pickled pork.

Moby Thesaurus

AWOL, French leave, Irish confetti, Jupiter Fulgur, Thor, abscond, absence without leave, absquatulate, absquatulation, apostacize, apostasy, apostatize, arrow, arrowhead, articulate, assort, attach, backsliding, bale, ball lightning, bang, bar, barb, barricade, barrier, batten, batten down, beat a retreat, betray, betrayal, bindle, blat, block, block up, blockade, blow, blurt out, bobtailed arrow, boil, bola, bolt down, bolt of lightning, bolt upright, bomb, bombshell, boomerang, bouquet, break away, breakaway, brickbat, buckle, budget, bundle, burn out, butt, button, button up, career, catch, categorize, chain lightning, change sides, charge, chase, chested arrow, chock, choke, choke off, clap, clarify, clasp, classify, clear, clear out, cleat, clip, close, close off, close tight, close up, cloth yard shaft, coil, collate, connect, constrict, contain, contract, cordon, cordon off, countermissile, cover, cram, crowd, cry out, cull out, cut and run, dark lightning, dart, dash, dash off, debar, decamp, decampment, deck, decrassify, defect, defection, depart, depurate, dereliction, desert, deserter, desertion, devour, disappearance, disappearing act, disloyalty, distill, divide, dog, dovetail, edulcorate, ejaculate, elope, elopement, elute, engorge, erect, escape, essentialize, exit, extract, eye-opener, fagot, faithlessness, fall away, fall off, fardel, fasces, fascine, fasten, filter, filtrate, fireball, firebolt, fix, flee, flight, fling, fly, flying flame, fold, fold up, forked lightning, fugitate, fugitation, fulguration, fulmination, ghettoize, gluttonize, go AWOL, go over, gobble, going over, gorge, gormandize, gradate, grade, group, gulp, gulp down, guttle, guzzle, hasp, haste, hasten, hasty retreat, hegira, hie, hinge, hitch, hook, hump, hump it, hurry, hurtle, ingurgitate, insulate, jam, joint, jump, jump bail, keep apart, keep aside, key, lash, latch, lay aside, leach, length, let down, levant, levin bolt, lightning, live to eat, lixiviate, lock, lock out, lock up, make haste, make off, missile, miter, mortise, nail, nosegay, oak-cleaving thunderbolts, obstruct, occlude, pack, package, packet, padlock, parcel, part, peg, percolate, pick out, piece, pin, plumb, poop out, portion, post, posy, projectile, pull out, purify, put aside, quarantine, quarrel, quick exit, quiver, rabbet, race, rank, rat, ratting, raven, recidivation, recidivism, recreancy, rectify, reed, refine, revelation, riddle, rigidly, rivet, rock, rocket, rod, roll, rouleau, run, run away, run away from, run away with, run for it, run off, run out on, running away, rush, scamper, scarf, schism, scoot, scour, scram, scramble, scramming, screen, screw, scud, scurry, scuttle, seal, seal off, seal up, secede, secession, seclude, secure, segregate, sell out, separate, set apart, set aside, sew, shaft, sheaf, sheet lightning, shock, shocker, shoot, show the heels, shut, shut off, shut out, shut the door, shut tight, shut up, sieve, sift, size, skedaddle, skedaddling, skewer, skip, skip out, slam, slip the cable, slop, slosh, snap, sort, sort out, spiritualize, spring, squeeze, squeeze shut, staple, startle, step on it, stick, stiffly, stifle, stitch, stone, stop up, straight, strain, strangle, strangulate, strip, stroke of lightning, stuff, sublimate, sublime, subordinate, suffocate, surprise, swallow whole, switch, switch over, tack, take French leave, take flight, take to flight, take wing, tear, thrash, thresh, throw stick, throwing-stick, thunderball, thunderbolt, thunderstroke, toggle, torpedo, treason, truss, try, turn cloak, turn tail, turning traitor, volley, waddy, walkout, wedge, winnow, wolf, wolf down, zip up, zipper