bolt
noun · verb · adverb
Simple meaning
A sliding pin or bar in a lock or latch mechanism.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
bohltIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈboʊlt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A sliding pin or bar in a lock or latch mechanism.
militarymechanical engineering
A sliding bar in a breech-loading firearm that ejects an empty cartridge and replaces it and closes the breech
A discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
“A bolt of lightning illuminated the dark night sky.”
A sudden abandonment (as from a political party)
A sudden event, action or emotion.
militarymechanical engineering
A sliding mechanism to chamber and unchamber a cartridge in a firearm.
verb
intransitive
To flee, to depart, to accelerate away suddenly.
transitive
To secure a door by locking or barring it.
transitive
To drink one's drink very quickly; to down a drink.
Eat hastily without proper chewing
Swallow hastily
transitive
To swallow food without chewing it.
adverb
Suddenly; straight; unbendingly.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A sliding pin or bar in a lock or latch mechanism.
Used this way, bolt is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- smack , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use bolt
- “He slid the bolt across the door for extra security.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Drink down entirely.
A hole through which an animal may bolt when pursued into its burrow or den.
A discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder.
Leave suddenly and as if in a hurry.
An implement for cutting bolts.
A roundheaded bolt for timber.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.