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bolt

   Also found in: Medical, Financial, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
bolt 1  (blt)
n.
1. A bar made of wood or metal that slides into a socket and is used to fasten doors and gates.
2. A metal bar or rod in the mechanism of a lock that is thrown or withdrawn by turning the key.
3. A fastener consisting of a threaded pin or rod with a head at one end, designed to be inserted through holes in assembled parts and secured by a mated nut that is tightened by applying torque.
4.
a. A sliding metal bar that positions the cartridge in breechloading rifles, closes the breech, and ejects the spent cartridge.
b. A similar device in any breech mechanism.
5. A short, heavy arrow with a thick head, used especially with a crossbow.
6. A flash of lightning; a thunderbolt.
7. A sudden or unexpected event: The announcement was a veritable bolt.
8. A sudden movement toward or away.
9. A large roll of cloth of a definite length, especially as it comes from the loom.
v. bolt·ed, bolt·ing, bolts
v.tr.
1. To secure or lock with or as if with a bolt.
2. To arrange or roll (lengths of cloth, for example) on or in a bolt.
3. To eat (food) hurriedly and with little chewing; gulp.
4. To desert or withdraw support from (a political party).
5. To utter impulsively; blurt.
6. Archaic To shoot or discharge (a missile, such as an arrow).
v.intr.
1. To move or spring suddenly.
2. To start suddenly and run away: The horse bolted at the sound of the shot. The frightened child bolted from the room.
3. To break away from an affiliation, as from a political party.
4. Botany To flower or produce seeds prematurely or develop a flowering stem from a rosette.
Idioms:
bolt from the blue
A sudden, shocking surprise or turn of events.
bolt upright
In a rigidly vertical position: sat bolt upright.

[Middle English, from Old English, heavy arrow.]

bolt 1
Noun
1. a bar that can be slid into a socket to lock a door, gate, etc.
2. a metal rod or pin that has a head and a screw thread to take a nut
3. a flash (of lightning)
4. a sudden movement, esp. in order to escape
5. an arrow, esp. for a crossbow
6. a bolt from the blue a sudden, unexpected, and usually unwelcome event
7. shoot one's bolt to exhaust one's efforts
Verb
1. to run away suddenly
2. to secure or lock with or as if with a bolt
3. to attach firmly one thing to another by means of a nut and bolt
4. to eat hurriedly: bolting your food may lead to indigestion
5. (of a horse) to run away without control
6. (of vegetables) to produce flowers and seeds too soon
Adverb
bolt upright stiff and rigid [Old English: arrow]

bolt 2 or boult
Verb
1. to pass (flour, a powder, etc.) through a sieve
2. to examine and separate [Old French bulter]

Bolt a bundle; a compact packet; a roll of woven fabric.
Examples: bolt of canvas [40 yards], 1638; of cloth [40 yards]; of fabric; of glass [molten cylindrical jet]; of osiers [willow twigs], 1725; of satin, 1592; of silk [40 yards]; of straw; of worsted, 1407.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.boltbolt - a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
lightning - abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
2.bolt - a sliding bar in a breech-loading firearm that ejects an empty cartridge and replaces it and closes the breech
bar - a rigid piece of metal or wood; usually used as a fastening or obstruction or weapon; "there were bars in the windows to prevent escape"
rifle - a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore; "he lifted the rifle to his shoulder and fired"
3.boltbolt - the part of a lock that is engaged or withdrawn with a key
bar - a rigid piece of metal or wood; usually used as a fastening or obstruction or weapon; "there were bars in the windows to prevent escape"
lock - a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed
safety bolt, safety lock - a bolt that cannot be moved from outside the door or gate
4.bolt - the act of moving with great haste; "he made a dash for the door"
rush, rushing, haste, hurry - the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner; "in his haste to leave he forgot his book"
5.bolt - a roll of cloth or wallpaper of a definite length
roll - anything rolled up in cylindrical form
6.bolt - a screw that screws into a nut to form a fastener
carriage bolt - a roundheaded bolt for timber; threaded along part of the shank; inserted into holes already drilled
clinch - the flattened part of a nail or bolt or rivet
expansion bolt - a bolt that has an attachment that expands as the bolt is driven into a surface
head - a projection out from one end; "the head of the nail", "a pinhead is the head of a pin"
kingbolt, swivel pin, kingpin - bolt that provides a steering joint in a motor vehicle
machine bolt - a bolt with a square or hexagonal head on one end and a threaded shaft on the other end; tightened with a wrench; used to connect metal parts
nut and bolt - a fastener made by screwing a nut onto a threaded bolt
screw - a fastener with a tapered threaded shank and a slotted head
shank - cylinder forming the part of a bolt between the thread and the head
stove bolt - a small machine bolt
7.bolt - a sudden abandonment (as from a political party)
abandonment, desertion, forsaking - the act of giving something up
political science, politics, government - the study of government of states and other political units
Verb1.bolt - move or jump suddenly; "She bolted from her seat"
move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"
2.bolt - secure or lock with a bolt; "bolt the door"
lock - fasten with a lock; "lock the bike to the fence"
unbolt - undo the bolt of; "unbolt the door"
3.bolt - swallow hastily
swallow, get down - pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking; "Swallow the raw fish--it won't kill you!"
4.boltbolt - 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"
levant - run off without paying a debt
flee, take flight, fly - run away quickly; "He threw down his gun and fled"
5.bolt - 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"
go forth, leave, go away - go away from a place; "At what time does your train leave?"; "She didn't leave until midnight"; "The ship leaves at midnight"
6.bolt - eat hastily without proper chewing; "Don't bolt your food!"
eat - take in solid food; "She was eating a banana"; "What did you eat for dinner last night?"
7.bolt - make or roll into bolts; "bolt fabric"
furl, roll up - form into a cylinder by rolling; "Roll up the cloth"
Adv.1.bolt - in a rigid manner; "the body was rigidly erect"; "he sat bolt upright"
2.bolt - directly; "he ran bang into the pole"; "ran slap into her"
colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech

bolt
noun 1. pin, rod, peg, rivet
noun 2. bar, catch, lock, latch, fastener, sliding bar
verb 7. gobble, stuff, wolf, cram, gorge, devour, gulp, guzzle, swallow whole
Translations
Spanish bolt [bəult] n (= lock) → cerrojo;
(with nut) → perno, tornillo
adv bolt upright → rígido, erguido vt [+ door] → echar el cerrojo a [+ food]; engullir
vifugarse; [horse] → desbocarse

French bolt [bəult] nverrou m;
(with nut) → boulon m
adv bolt upright → droit(e) comme un piquet vt [+ door] → verrouiller [+ food]; engloutir
vise sauver, filer (comme une flèche);
a bolt from the blue [horse] → s'emballer (fig); un coup de tonnerre dans un ciel bleu

German bolt [bəult] nRiegel m;
(with nut) → Schraube f;
(of lightning) → Blitz(strahl) m
vt (door) → verriegeln;
(also: bolt together) → verschrauben;
(food) → hinunterschlingen
vi (run away) (person) → weglaufen: (horse) → durchgehen
adv bolt upright → kerzengerade;
a bolt from the blue (fig) → ein Blitz m aus heiterem Himmel

Italian bolt [bəult] nchiavistello;
(with nut) → bullone m
adv bolt upright → diritto/a come un fuso vtserrare [+ food]; mangiare in fretta
viscappare via;
a bolt from the blue (fig) → un fulmine a ciel sereno

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Ben Bolt he had been named, and he arrived indomitable and irreconcilable, though almost paralysed from eight weeks of cramp in his narrow cage which had restricted all movement.
In the trap-door itself was found a square aperture cut in the wood, apparently with some exceedingly sharp instrument, just behind the bolt which fastened the door on the inner side.
I slipped the bolt at once, and we stood and panted for a moment in the dark, alone in the house with the dead captain's body.
 
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