bolt
verb/bəʊlt/
/bəʊlt/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they bolt | /bəʊlt/ /bəʊlt/ |
| he / she / it bolts | /bəʊlts/ /bəʊlts/ |
| past simple bolted | /ˈbəʊltɪd/ /ˈbəʊltɪd/ |
| past participle bolted | /ˈbəʊltɪd/ /ˈbəʊltɪd/ |
| -ing form bolting | /ˈbəʊltɪŋ/ /ˈbəʊltɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] bolt (something) to fasten something such as a door or window by sliding a bolt across; to be able to be fastened in this way
- Don't forget to bolt the door.
- The gate bolts on the inside.
- Make sure that the rails are securely bolted in place.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- firmly
- securely
- together
- …
- to
- [transitive] to fasten things together with a bolt
- bolt A to B The vice is bolted to the workbench.
- bolt A and B together The various parts of the car are then bolted together.
Extra ExamplesTopics Engineeringc2- The two parts are bolted together.
- The yacht's keel is bolted to the hull.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- firmly
- securely
- together
- …
- to
- [intransitive] if an animal, especially a horse, bolts, it suddenly runs away because it is frightened
- Bonnie the mare broke free and bolted.
- The plane swooped down low and the horses bolted.
- [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) (of a person) to run away, especially in order to escape
- When he saw the police arrive, he bolted down an alley.
Extra Examples- For a moment I thought about bolting, but there was no escape.
- She bolted through the open door.
- They turned and bolted off down the stairs.
- [transitive] bolt something (down) to eat something very quickly
- Don't bolt your food!
- (North American English) [transitive, intransitive] bolt (something) to stop supporting a particular group or political party
- Many Democrats bolted the party to vote Republican.
- [intransitive] (of a plant, especially a vegetable) to grow too quickly and start producing seeds and so become less good to eat
Word Originverb senses 1 to 2 Old English, ‘arrow’, of unknown origin; related to Dutch bout and German Bolzen ‘arrow, bolt for a door’. verb senses 3 to 7 Middle English: from the other verb senses of bolt, expressing the sense ‘fly like an arrow’.
Idioms
See bolt in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryclose, lock, etc. the stable door after the horse has bolted (British English)
(North American English close, lock, etc. the barn door after the horse has escaped)
- to try to prevent or avoid loss or damage when it is already too late to do so
Check pronunciation:
bolt