BOOT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does boot mean? 

• BOOT (noun)
  The noun BOOT has 7 senses:

1. footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg

2. compartment in an automobile that carries luggage or shopping or tools

3. the swift release of a store of affective force

4. protective casing for something that resembles a leg

5. an instrument of torture that is used to heat or crush the foot and leg

6. a form of foot torture in which the feet are encased in iron and slowly crushed

7. the act of delivering a blow with the foot

  Familiarity information: BOOT used as a noun is common.

• BOOT (verb)
  The verb BOOT has 2 senses:

1. kick; give a boot to

2. cause to load (an operating system) and start the initial processes

  Familiarity information: BOOT used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BOOT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("boot" is a kind of...):

footgear; footwear (covering for a person's feet)

Meronyms (parts of "boot"):

gad; spur (a sharp prod fixed to a rider's heel and used to urge a horse onward)

toe box (the forward tip of the upper of a shoe or boot that provides space and protection for the toes)

toecap (a protective leather or steel cover for the toe of a boot or shoe, reinforcing or decorating it)

tongue (the flap of material under the laces of a shoe or boot)

upper (piece of leather or synthetic material that forms the part of a shoe or boot above the sole that encases the foot)

innersole; insole (the inner sole of a shoe or boot where the foot rests)

outsole (the outer sole of a shoe or boot that is the bottom of the shoe and makes contact with the ground)

instep (the part of a shoe or stocking that covers the arch of the foot)

heel (the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation)

eyehole; eyelet (a small hole (usually round and finished around the edges) in cloth or leather for the passage of a cord or hook or bar)

counter; heel counter (a piece of leather forming the back of a shoe or boot)

collar; shoe collar (the stitching that forms the rim of a shoe or boot)

bootleg (the part of a boot above the instep)

bootlace (a long lace for fastening boots)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "boot"):

buskin; combat boot; desert boot; half boot; top boot (a boot reaching halfway up to the knee)

cowboy boot (a boot with a high arch and fancy stitching; worn by American cowboys)

hessian; Hessian boot; jackboot; Wellington; Wellington boot ((19th century) a man's high tasseled boot)

hip boot; thigh boot (a very high boot; used especially for fishing)

riding boot (a boot without laces that is worn for riding horses; part of a riding habit)

gum boot; rubber boot (a high boot made of rubber)

ski boot (a stiff boot that is fastened to a ski with a ski binding)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Compartment in an automobile that carries luggage or shopping or tools

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

automobile trunk; boot; luggage compartment; trunk

Context example:

he put his golf bag in the trunk

Hypernyms ("boot" is a kind of...):

compartment (a partitioned section, chamber, or separate room within a larger enclosed area)

Holonyms ("boot" is a part of...):

auto; automobile; car; machine; motorcar (a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine)

Domain region:

Britain (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The swift release of a store of affective force

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

bang; boot; charge; flush; kick; rush; thrill

Context example:

he does it for kicks

Hypernyms ("boot" is a kind of...):

excitement; exhilaration (the feeling of lively and cheerful joy)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Protective casing for something that resembles a leg

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("boot" is a kind of...):

case; casing; shell (the housing or outer covering of something)

Sense 5

Meaning:

An instrument of torture that is used to heat or crush the foot and leg

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

boot; iron boot; iron heel; the boot

Hypernyms ("boot" is a kind of...):

instrument of torture (an instrument of punishment designed and used to inflict torture on the condemned person)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A form of foot torture in which the feet are encased in iron and slowly crushed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("boot" is a kind of...):

torture; torturing (the deliberate, systematic, or wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more persons in an attempt to force another person to yield information or to make a confession or for any other reason)

Sense 7

Meaning:

The act of delivering a blow with the foot

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

boot; kick; kicking

Context example:

the team's kicking was excellent

Hypernyms ("boot" is a kind of...):

blow (a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "boot"):

goal-kick ((association football) a kick by the defending side after the attacking side sends the ball over the goal-line)

goal-kick ((rugby) an attempt to kick a goal)

punt; punting ((football) a kick in which the football is dropped from the hands and kicked before it touches the ground)

place-kicking; place kick ((sports) a kick in which the ball is placed on the ground before kicking)

dropkick ((football) kicking (as for a field goal) in which the football is dropped and kicked as it touches the ground)

Derivation:

boot (kick; give a boot to)

• BOOT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they boot    ... he / she / it boots   
Past simple: booted   
Past participle: booted   
-ing form: booting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Kick; give a boot to

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "boot" is one way to...):

kick (strike with the foot)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They want to boot the prisoners

Also:

boot out (remove from a position or office)

Derivation:

boot (the act of delivering a blow with the foot)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cause to load (an operating system) and start the initial processes

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

boot; bring up; reboot

Context example:

boot your computer

Hypernyms (to "boot" is one way to...):

resuscitate; revive (cause to regain consciousness)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

The men were dressed in blue, of the same shade as their hats, and wore well-polished boots with a deep roll of blue at the tops.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

They wore high boots, with their trousers tucked into them, and had long black hair and heavy black moustaches.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Among those who were stirring in the shops, I saw my ancient enemy the butcher, now advanced to top-boots and a baby, and in business for himself.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

She put on her many-league boots, in which she covered an hour’s walk at every step, and it was not long before she overtook them.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

The charwomen are in the habit of taking off their boots at the commissionnaire’s office, and putting on list slippers.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Oilskins and sea-boots were hanging from the walls, and here and there rifles and shotguns rested securely in the racks.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

March 20 should be a breathtaking day, and it might well bring fabulous financial news as well as an exciting career breakthrough to boot.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

If you will both come up and leave your boots below on the landing, I’ll put you there now.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I might, it is true, have reversed my boots, as I have done on similar occasions, but the sight of three sets of tracks in one direction would certainly have suggested a deception.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It must have been he who wore those boots and retained the missing gems.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)