boot

noun

(footwear) A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg.

(sports) A kind of sports shoe worn by players of certain games such as cricket and football (historically in the form of boots, now shorter, but still called the same).

(uncountable) A blow with the foot; a kick.

(construction) A flexible cover of rubber or plastic, which may be preformed to a particular shape and used to protect a shaft, lever, switch, or opening from dust, dirt, moisture, etc.

(figurative, with definite article) Oppression, an oppressor.

(usually preceded by definite article) A torture device used on the feet or legs, such as a Spanish boot.

(US, transport) A parking enforcement device used to immobilize a car until it can be towed or a fine is paid; a wheel clamp.

(aviation) A rubber bladder on the leading edge of an aircraft’s wing, which is inflated periodically to remove ice buildup; a deicing boot.

(Australia, British, New Zealand, South Africa, automotive) The luggage storage compartment of a sedan or saloon car.

(informal, with definite article) The act or process of removing or firing someone (dismissing them from a job or other post).

(British, slang) An unattractive person, ugly woman.

(US, military, law enforcement, slang) A recently arrived recruit; a rookie.

(US, military, usually plural) A soldier, especially a footsoldier.

(slang, ethnic slur) A black person.

(firearms) A hard or rigid case for a long firearm, typically moulded to the shape of the gun.

(baseball) A bobbled ball.

(botany) The inflated flag leaf sheath of a wheat plant.

(slang) A linear amplifier used with CB radio.

(slang, motor racing) A tyre.

(US) A crust end-piece of a loaf of bread.

(uncountable) Profit, plunder.

(countable, uncountable) That which is given to make an exchange equal, or to make up for the deficiency of value in one of the things exchanged; compensation; recompense.

(computing) The act or process of bootstrapping; the starting or re-starting of a computing device.

(informal) A bootleg recording.

A surname.

A small village in Eskdale parish, Cumberland, Cumbria, England, previously in Copeland borough (OS grid ref NY1701).

Initialism of Build–own–operate–transfer.

(obsolete) A place at the side of a coach, where attendants rode; also, a low outside place before and behind the body of the coach.

(archaic) A place for baggage at either end of an old-fashioned stagecoach.

(archaic, dialectal) Remedy, amends.

(obsolete) Profit; gain; advantage; use.

(obsolete) Repair work; the act of fixing structures or buildings.

(obsolete) A medicinal cure or remedy.

verb

(transitive) To kick.

To put boots on, especially for riding.

(colloquial, Canada, US, usually with it) To step on the accelerator of a vehicle for faster acceleration than usual or to drive faster than usual.

(informal) To eject; kick out.

(computing, informal) To disconnect forcibly; to eject from an online service, conversation, etc.

(slang) To vomit.

(MLE, criminal slang) To shoot, to kill by gunfire.

(transitive or intransitive, impersonal) To be beneficial, to help.

(intransitive, impersonal) To matter; to be relevant.

(computing) To bootstrap; to start a system, e.g. a computer, by invoking its boot process or bootstrap.

(transitive, rare) To enrich.

Roots

boteboot- · Old French · boot, footwear

Synonyms for boot

shoen kickn footgearn footwearn chaussure sockn

Synonyms & related words for boot

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of boot — including shoe, kick, footgear, footwear, chaussure, sock. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to boot

Explore words related to boot — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include ocreate, wellie, heeltap, toecap, bootery, reboot, outsole, jackboot. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for boot

Common synonyms for boot include shoe, kick, footgear, footwear, chaussure, sock — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does boot come from?

The word boot breaks down into one root of Old French origin: the root boot, from Old French bote (“boot, footwear”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.