Jackboot
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A glossy leather calf-covering military boot, commonly associated with German soldiers of the WWII era.
"On a huge tomb-like table in the middle of the room, lay two pencilled profiles of Mr. Fielding, a pawnbroker’s ticket, a pair of ruffles, a very little muff, an immense broadsword, a Wycherley comb, a jackboot, and an old plumed hat; […]"
- 2 (19th century) a man's high tasseled boot wordnet
- 3 The spirit that motivates a totalitarian or overly militaristic regime or policy. broadly, informal
"That country has been under the jackboot of the military for years."
- 1 To stamp on with a jackboot. transitive
"The two porters leapt into action, steamed up to the front of the room and started jackbooting the burning paper."
- 2 To march in jackboots. intransitive
"All his childhood they had stormed through the cinema newsreels, jackbooting triumphantly through Vienna, Prague, Warsaw, Paris. Now they would jackboot through Garmouth. Followed by the Gestapo."
Example
More examples"On a huge tomb-like table in the middle of the room, lay two pencilled profiles of Mr. Fielding, a pawnbroker’s ticket, a pair of ruffles, a very little muff, an immense broadsword, a Wycherley comb, a jackboot, and an old plumed hat; […]"
Etymology
From Old French jaque (“coat of mail”).
Related phrases
More for "jackboot"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.