What does "boot" mean?
A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg.
Boot
/buːt/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg.
- Grammar: boot is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: kick, trunk, abecedarian, accelerator.
- Useful contrasts: admit, barefoot, hood.
- Usage evidence: And, we get each other's company to boot.
How to use "boot"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "boot" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "boot" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "boot" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "boot" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "boot" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "kick" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "boot", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg.
- 2 Remedy, amends. archaic, countable, dialectal, uncountable
"Thou art boot for many a bruise / And healest many a wound."
- 3 The act or process of bootstrapping; the starting or re-starting of a computing device. archaic
"It took three boots, but I finally got the application installed."
- 4 A bootleg recording. archaic, informal
"I am looking to trade Iron Maiden boots. I have many Iron Maiden bootlegs. I have lots of Metallica. I trade CDR's, tapes and videos."
- 5 Initialism of Build–own–operate–transfer. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Show 33 more definitions
- 6 the act of delivering a blow with the foot wordnet
- 7 A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg.; 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).
- 8 Profit, plunder. uncountable
- 9 a form of foot torture in which the feet are encased in iron and slowly crushed wordnet
- 10 A blow with the foot; a kick. uncountable
- 11 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. countable, uncountable
"I'll give you boot, I'll give you three for one."
- 12 footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg wordnet
- 13 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.
- 14 Profit; gain; advantage; use. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Then talk no more of flight, it is no boot."
- 15 an instrument of torture that is used to heat or crush the foot and leg wordnet
- 16 Oppression, an oppressor. figuratively, with-definite-article
"Dr. Jayakar was not only one of them but was at places the prime mover in the historic decisions taken by a nation struggling to get free of the British boot."
- 17 Repair work; the act of fixing structures or buildings. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 18 protective casing for something that resembles a leg wordnet
- 19 A torture device used on the feet or legs, such as a Spanish boot.
"The boot, thumbscrews, the shackles, and a contraption called the "warm hose", were only a few of the inflictions being too terrible to mention."
- 20 A medicinal cure or remedy. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 21 compartment in an automobile that carries luggage or shopping or tools wordnet
- 22 A parking enforcement device used to immobilize a car until it can be towed or a fine is paid; a wheel clamp. US
- 23 the swift release of a store of affective force wordnet
- 24 A rubber bladder on the leading edge of an aircraft’s wing, which is inflated periodically to remove ice buildup; a deicing boot.
- 25 A place at the side of a coach, where attendants rode; also, a low outside place before and behind the body of the coach. obsolete
- 26 A place for baggage at either end of an old-fashioned stagecoach. archaic
- 27 The luggage storage compartment of a sedan or saloon car. Australia, British, New-Zealand, South-Africa
"He heaved the bag and its contents over the lip of the boot and on to the flagstones. When it was out, no longer in that boot but on the ground, and the bag was still intact, he knew the worst was over."
- 28 The act or process of removing or firing someone (dismissing them from a job or other post). informal, with-definite-article
"He was useless so he got the boot."
- 29 An unattractive person, ugly woman. British, slang
"old boot"
- 30 A recently arrived recruit; a rookie. US, slang
"Did you even go to OCS, you complete and utter boot!?"
- 31 A soldier, especially a footsoldier. US, plural, usually
"We do not anticipate there will be US boots on the ground to help quell the violence."
- 32 A black person. ethnic, slang, slur
"My Dad has taught me that in England some foolish man may call me sambo, darkie, boot or munt or nigger, even."
- 33 A hard or rigid case for a long firearm, typically moulded to the shape of the gun.
"They drew in their horses and dismounted. The others riding ahead were already out of sight in the darkness. Beyond them shone the lights of Bou Saada. Tarzan removed his rifle from its boot and loosened his revolver in its holster."
- 34 A bobbled ball.
- 35 The inflated flag leaf sheath of a wheat plant.
- 36 A linear amplifier used with CB radio. slang
"Because of overcrowding, many a CB enthusiast (called an "apple") is strapping an illegal linear amplifier ("boots") on to his transceiver ("ears") […]"
- 37 A tyre. slang
- 38 A crust end-piece of a loaf of bread. US
Verb
- 1 To kick. transitive
"I booted the ball toward my teammate."
- 2 To be beneficial, to help. archaic, impersonal, intransitive, transitive
"It boots thee not to be compaſsionate, / After our ſentence, plaining comes too late."
- 3 To bootstrap; to start a system, e.g. a computer, by invoking its boot process or bootstrap. archaic
"When arriving at the office, the first thing I do is boot my machine."
- 4 cause to load (an operating system) and start the initial processes wordnet
- 5 To put boots on, especially for riding.
"Coated and booted for it."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 To matter; to be relevant. archaic, impersonal, intransitive
"I will go and offer myſelf to this divorce—it boots not what becomes of me."
- 7 kick; give a boot to wordnet
- 8 To step on the accelerator of a vehicle for faster acceleration than usual or to drive faster than usual. Canada, US, colloquial, usually
"The storm is coming fast! Boot it!"
- 9 To enrich. archaic, rare, transitive
"And I will boot thee with what guift beſide / Thy modeſtie can begge."
- 10 To eject; kick out. informal
"We need to boot those troublemakers as soon as possible."
- 11 To disconnect forcibly; to eject from an online service, conversation, etc. informal
"As an IRC member with operator status, Swallow was able to manage who was allowed to remain in chat sessions and who got booted off the channel."
- 12 To vomit. slang
"Sorry, I didn’t mean to boot all over your couch."
- 13 To shoot, to kill by gunfire. Multicultural-London-English, slang
"C4 run man through the alley Get a man down with the swammy Get a man down with the whammy Boot couple niggas on the road No face no case with the bally (booting)"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A small village in Eskdale parish, Cumberland, Cumbria, England, previously in Copeland borough (OS grid ref NY1701).
Example
"And, we get each other's company to boot."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "boot"?
Common synonyms include: kick, trunk, abecedarian, accelerator, additionally, alphabetarian.
How do you use "boot" in a sentence?
And, we get each other's company to boot.
How do you pronounce "boot"?
Pronounced /buːt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English boote, bote (“shoe”), from Old French bote (“a high, thick shoe”). Of obscure origin, but probably related to Old French bot (“club-foot”), bot (“fat, short, blunt”), from Old Frankish *butt, from Proto-Germanic *buttaz, *butaz (“cut off, short, numb, blunt”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewt-, *bʰewd- (“to strike, push, shock”); if so, a doublet of butt. Compare Old Norse butt (“stump”), Low German butt (“blunt, plump”), Old English bytt (“small piece of land”), buttuc (“end”). More at buttock and debut.
Etymology 2
From Middle English boote, bote, bot, from Old English bōt (“help, relief, advantage”), from Proto-West Germanic *bōtu, from Proto-Germanic *bōtō (“atonement, improvement”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰed- (“good”). Akin to Old Norse bót (“bettering, remedy”) (Danish bod), Gothic 𐌱𐍉𐍄𐌰 (bōta), German Buße. Doublet of bote (a borrowing from Middle English).
Etymology 3
Clipping of bootstrap.
Etymology 4
From bootleg (“to make or sell illegally”), by shortening.
Etymology 5
* As an English surname, from the noun boot. * As a Dutch and German surname, from Bote (“messenger”), compare Bode. Also an occupational surname for a boatman, from boot.