boot
boot — noun
1. a shoe that comes above the ankle and may rise partway up the leg.
a shoe that comes above the ankle and may rise partway up the leg.
Greta pulled on her boots before walking across the wet field.
pattern: pull on your boots
A muddy boot stood by the kitchen door after the farm visit.
Before the snowy trip to Hokkaido, Theo bought thick leather boots.
collocation: leather boots
These winter boots keep your feet warm in deep snow.
collocation: winter boots
- leather boots
- winter boots
- pull on your boots
- muddy boots
- shoe
a broader word for footwear of many kinds, not specifically high around the ankle.
- ankle boot
a shorter boot that stops near the ankle.
- wellington
a waterproof rubber boot, especially for rain or mud.
Grammar Patterns
pull on your boots
wear boots
hiking boots
Usage Note
Often suggests stronger material and more cover than an ordinary shoe.
2. a sports shoe with small hard points on the bottom to help you grip the ground.
a sports shoe with small hard points on the bottom to help you grip the ground.
Ravi laced up his boots before football practice on the school field.
collocation: football boots
One boot lost a stud during the muddy match on Saturday.
boots with studs
Before the muddy semifinal, the coach checked every player's boots for loose studs.
New boots helped Hana stop sliding on the wet grass.
- football boots
- boots with studs
- lace up your boots
- new boots for training
- cleat
the usual American English word for this kind of sports shoe.
- football boot
a more specific term when the sport is football.
- spike shoe
often used for running shoes with sharp points, especially on a track.
Grammar Patterns
football boots
boots with studs
lace up your boots
Usage Note
Common for football, rugby, and similar field sports. In American English, cleats is often the usual word.
3. the enclosed storage part behind the seats of a car, used for bags and other ite
the enclosed storage part behind the seats of a car, used for bags and other items.
Uma put the picnic basket in the boot before the rain started.
pattern: put something in the boot
The boot was full of suitcases after the family wedding.
collocation: boot full of luggage
At the station, Noa opened the boot and lifted out my guitar.
pattern: open the boot
A spare tyre rolled around in the boot all week.
- open the boot
- put luggage in the boot
- boot full of bags
- car boot
- trunk
the usual American English word.
- luggage compartment
a more formal term for the same part of the car.
- cargo area
often used for larger vehicles rather than an ordinary car.
Grammar Patterns
put something in the boot
open the boot
boot full of luggage
Usage Note
British English. American English usually says trunk for this part of a car.
4. sudden removal from a job, usually because someone has behaved badly or worked b
sudden removal from a job, usually because someone has behaved badly or worked badly.
After three late reports, Priya got the boot from the law office.
pattern: get the boot
At the hotel desk, one rude comment to a guest can bring the boot.
After missing two Taipei shows, the singer feared the boot from management.
By Monday morning, the careless night guard at Tower B had been given the boot.
pattern: give someone the boot
- get the boot
- give someone the boot
Grammar Patterns
get the boot
give someone the boot
Usage Note
Almost always appears in fixed expressions such as get the boot and give someone the boot.
Common Mistakes
5. one hard hit made with the foot.
one hard hit made with the foot.
Bao gave the stuck gate a boot to force it open.
pattern: give something a boot
One boot from the horse broke the old wooden fence.
one hard boot
The ball flew across the yard with a strong boot from Diego.
A quick boot sent the empty can under the park bench.
- give the gate a boot
- one hard boot
- a quick boot
Grammar Patterns
give something a boot
one hard boot
Usage Note
Often used in the pattern give something a boot.
Common Mistakes
6. a heavy metal lock fixed to a car wheel so the vehicle cannot be moved until a f
a heavy metal lock fixed to a car wheel so the vehicle cannot be moved until a fee is paid.
By sunrise, a yellow boot was fixed to the taxi's front wheel.
boot on a wheel
The officer removed the boot after Mei paid the parking fine.
pattern: remove the boot
A car with a boot on it blocked half the narrow lane.
Tourists stared when workers locked a boot onto the van.
- put a boot on a wheel
- remove the boot
- parking boot
- wheel clamp
a common term for the same device.
- parking clamp
names the device by its purpose.
- immobilizer
a more formal word for something that stops a vehicle from moving.
Grammar Patterns
put a boot on a wheel
remove the boot
Usage Note
Used in parking enforcement. The device is attached to the wheel, not to the whole vehicle body.
To be forced to leave your job or end a relationship.
After the argument, Sara got the boot from her boyfriend.
Min was given the boot when the company downsized.
To become too proud of yourself and act more important than you really are.
Ever since his promotion, Tom has been too big for his boots.
Don't get too big for your boots, Maya; you still have a lot to learn.
Used to say that a situation has changed so that someone now has power over the person who used to have power over them.
Now that I'm the manager, the boot is on the other foot.
When the student became the teacher, the boot was on the other foot.
fill your boots
idiomUsed to invite someone to take as much as they want of something, like food or drink.
There's plenty of pizza left, so fill your boots!
The buffet is open; fill your boots with whatever you like.
To do someone's job well enough when they are not there.
It will be hard to fill Diego's shoes after he retires.
Can you fill my boots while I'm on vacation next week?
To show too much respect to someone in authority in order to please them.
The intern was always licking the boss's boots for a promotion.
I refuse to lick anyone's boots just to get ahead.
To kick someone very hard, especially when they are already on the ground.
The bully stuck the boot in after knocking the kid down.
In the fight, he put the boot in while his opponent was down.
To be very frightened or nervous.
Before the exam, Aiden was shaking in his boots.
The loud thunder made the little girl shake in her shoes.
to boot
idiomUsed to add an extra comment to something you have said.
She is smart, and funny to boot.
The car is cheap, and reliable to boot.
Very strong and able to handle difficult situations well.
My grandmother is 90 but as tough as old boots.
The soldier was as tough as nails after years of training.
boot — verb
1. to hit a person or thing with a strong movement of your foot.
to hit a person or thing with a strong movement of your foot.
Zane booted the ball over the fence and into the river.
pattern: boot the ball
In anger, the drunk man booted the bin outside the station.
The thief booted the side door but still could not enter.
collocation: boot the door
During the fight, one boy booted another boy in the leg.
pattern: boot someone in [body part]
- boot the ball
- boot the door
- boot someone in the leg
- boot the bin
- kick
the neutral everyday verb; boot sounds harder and rougher.
- lash out at
emphasizes angry attacking movement rather than one clean kick.
- punt
mainly sports use for a long kick, especially in American football.
- nudge
means touching or pushing lightly rather than hitting hard.
Grammar Patterns
boot the ball
boot someone in [body part]
boot the door open
Usage Note
Usually takes a direct object and often adds the place hit: boot the ball, boot someone in the shin.
Common Mistakes
2. in computing, to load the basic system that makes a computer ready to use, or fo
in computing, to load the basic system that makes a computer ready to use, or for the computer to do this by itself.
Iris booted up the old laptop before the online interview.
transitive: boot up the laptop
After the power cut, the office computers booted very slowly.
intransitive: computers booted slowly
The tablet would not boot because the battery was empty.
negative form: would not boot
Nikolai booted the school computer again after changing one cable.
- boot up the laptop
- boot the computer
- system boots slowly
- boot again
- shut down
means ending the system's operation and turning it off.
Grammar Patterns
boot up
boot up the computer
the computer boots slowly
Usage Note
Can be intransitive or transitive: The laptop booted up / I booted up the laptop. Distinguish from simply turn on, which may describe pressing the button without the system-loading idea.
Common Mistakes
3. in baseball, to handle a ball badly so an easy play turns into an error.
in baseball, to handle a ball badly so an easy play turns into an error.
The player booted an easy ball, and the other team scored twice.
boot a ground ball
Leila booted a simple throw from her teammate during the last play.
boot an easy throw
On the wet field, Omar booted a slow ball rolling toward him.
The captain booted a routine ground ball, and the crowd went quiet.
- boot a ground ball
- boot an easy throw
- boot the play
Grammar Patterns
boot a ground ball
boot an easy throw
Usage Note
Baseball use only. It usually suggests a clumsy mistake on a ball that should have been handled cleanly.
Word family
- rebootverbB2
- bootstrapnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
For footwear, boot is the broad word for a shoe that rises above the ankle and gives more cover or support than an ordinary shoe. Shoe is much wider and can describe almost any everyday footwear. Trainer usually means a soft sports shoe for running or casual wear, so it does not suggest the taller shape or stronger material of a boot. Sandal is lighter and more open, usually for warm weather. Wellington is a specific waterproof rubber boot, often worn in rain, mud, or farm work. So you wear shoes to school, trainers to the gym, sandals to the beach, and boots when you want warmth, support, or protection. In heavy rain, wellingtons are the most exact choice.
Etymology
The main noun boot came into English from Old French in the Middle English period and first referred to a high shoe for the foot and lower leg. Later English extended the same word to a luggage space on a coach, and from there British English used it for the storage compartment of a car. The verb meaning to kick grew from the footwear sense, while the computer verb is much newer and is a shortened form of bootstrap, from the idea of a machine pulling itself into operation step by step.