adjective
- equipped with or wearing boots.
- Ornithology. (of the tarsus of certain birds) covered with a continuous horny, bootlike sheath.
noun
- a covering of leather, rubber, or the like, for the foot and all or part of the leg.
- Chiefly British. any shoe or outer foot covering reaching to the ankle.
- an overshoe, especially one of rubber or other waterproof material.
- an instrument of torture for the leg, consisting of a kind of vise extending from the knee to the ankle, tightened around the leg by means of screws.
- any sheathlike protective covering: a boot for a weak automobile tire.
- a protective covering for the foot and part of the leg of a horse.
- a protecting cover or apron for the driver’s seat of an open vehicle.
- the receptacle or place into which the top of a convertible car fits when lowered.
- a cloth covering for this receptacle or place.
- British. the trunk of an automobile.
- a rubber covering for the connection between each spark-plug terminal and ignition cable in an automotive ignition system.
- Also called Denver boot. a metal device attached to the wheel of a parked car so that it cannot be driven away until a fine is paid or the owner reports to the police: used by police to catch scofflaws.
- U.S. Navy, Marines. a recruit.
- Music. the box that holds the reed in the reed pipe of an organ.
- a kick.
- Slang. a dismissal; discharge: They gave him the boot for coming in late.
- Informal. a sensation of pleasure or amusement: Watching that young skater win a gold medal gave me a real boot.
- Baseball. a fumble of a ball batted on the ground, usually to the infield.
- Computers. an act or instance of starting up a computer or program.
verb (used with object)
- to kick; drive by kicking: The boy booted a tin can down the street.
- Football. to kick.
- Baseball. to fumble (a ground ball).
- to put boots on; equip or provide with boots.
- Computers.
- to start (a computer) by loading and initializing the operating system (often followed by up).
- to start (a program) by loading the first few instructions, which will then bring in the rest (often followed by up).
- Slang. to dismiss; discharge: They booted him out of school for not studying.
- to attach a Denver boot to: Police will boot any car with unpaid fines.
- to torture with the boot.
verb (used without object)
- Computers. to start a computer or program, or be started in this way (often followed by up): My laptop won’t boot and shows a blank screen.
- bet your boots, to be sure or certain: You can bet your boots that I’ll be there!
- die with one’s boots on,
- to die while actively engaged in one’s work, profession, etc.
- to die fighting, especially in battle, or in some worthy cause.
Also especially British, die in one’s boots.
- get a boot, Informal. to derive keen enjoyment: I really got a boot out of his ridiculous stories.
noun
- Archaic. something given into the bargain.
- Obsolete.
- advantage.
- remedy; relief; help.
verb (used with or without object)
- Archaic. to be of profit, advantage, or avail (to): It boots thee not to complain.
- to boot, in addition; besides: We received an extra week’s pay to boot.
adjective
- wearing boots
- ornithol
- (of birds) having an undivided tarsus covered with a horny sheath
- (of poultry) having a feathered tarsus
noun
- a strong outer covering for the foot; shoe that extends above the ankle, often to the kneeSee also chukka boot, top boot, Wellington boots, surgical boot
- an enclosed compartment of a car for holding luggage, etc, usually at the rearUS and Canadian name: trunk
- a protective covering over a mechanical device, such as a rubber sheath protecting a coupling joining two shafts
- US and Canadian a rubber patch used to repair a puncture in a tyre
- an instrument of torture used to crush the foot and lower leg
- a protective covering for the lower leg of a horse
- a kickhe gave the door a boot
- British slang an ugly person (esp in the phrase old boot)
- US slang a navy or marine recruit, esp one in training
- computing short for bootstrap (def. 4a)
- bet one’s boots to be certainyou can bet your boots he’ll come
- See boots and all
- die with one’s boots on
- to die while still active
- to die in battle
- lick the boots of to be servile, obsequious, or flattering towards
- put the boot in slang
- to kick a person, esp when he or she is already down
- to harass someone or aggravate a problem
- to finish off (something) with unnecessary brutality
- the boot slang dismissal from employment; the sack
- the boot is on the other foot or the boot is on the other leg the situation is or has now reversed
- too big for one’s boots self-important or conceited
verb
- (tr) (esp in football) to kick
- (tr) to equip with boots
- (tr) informal
- (often foll by out)to eject forcibly
- to dismiss from employment
- Also: boot up to start up the operating system of (a computer) or (of a computer) to begin operating
verb (usually impersonal)
- archaic to be of advantage or use to (a person)what boots it to complain?
noun
- obsolete an advantage
- dialect something given in addition, esp to equalize an exchangea ten pound boot to settle the bargain
- to boot as well; in additionit’s cold and musty, and damp to boot
footwear, early 14c., from Old French bote “boot” (12c.), with corresponding words in Provençal and Spanish, of unknown origin, perhaps from a Germanic source. Originally for riding boots only. An old Dorsetshire word for “half-boots” was skilty-boots [Halliwell, Wright].
“profit, use,” Old English bot “help, relief, advantage; atonement,” literally “a making better,” from Proto-Germanic *boto (see better (adj.)). Cf. German Buße “penance, atonement,” Gothic botha “advantage.” Now mostly in phrase to boot (Old English to bote).
“start up a computer,” 1975, from bootstrap (v.), a 1958 derived verb from bootstrap (n.) in the computer sense.
“to kick,” 1877, American English, from boot (n.1). Generalized sense of “eject, kick out” is from 1880. Related: Booted; booting.
In addition to the idioms beginning with boot
- boot out
- boot up
also see:
- die with one’s boots on
- get the ax (boot)
- kick (boot) out
- lick someone’s boots
- pull oneself up (by the bootstraps)
- quake in one’s boots
- to boot
- too big for one’s breeches (boots)
- you can bet your ass (boots)
Also see undershoe.