bolting
bolting — adverb
1. with the spine held very straight and the body stiff, not leaning or relaxing
with the spine held very straight and the body stiff, not leaning or relaxing
The children sat bolt upright when the teacher walked into the room.
collocation: sit bolt upright
Henry sat bolt upright in bed, wide awake after the nightmare.
The cat sat bolt upright on the mat, staring at the mouse hole.
Amelia stood bolt upright during the whole ceremony, not moving a muscle.
2. following the shortest path without any change of direction
following the shortest path without any change of direction
The path ran bolt straight across the field to the old oak tree.
adverb + adjective: bolt straight
The arrow flew bolt straight towards the centre of the target.
adverb + preposition: bolt straight towards
Rania fixed her eyes bolt straight ahead on the presentation screen.
The new road runs bolt straight from the town centre to the port.
bolting — noun
1. a sliding metal bar that you push across a door or gate to keep it closed and sa
a sliding metal bar that you push across a door or gate to keep it closed and safe
Salma slid the heavy bolt across the stable door and checked it was secure.
collocation: slide the bolt across
The old wooden gate had a rusted bolt that was hard to move.
Soraya heard the bolt click shut and felt safe inside the cabin.
Hari replaced the broken bolt on the shed with a new steel one.
The prison cell had a thick iron bolt that only the guard could open.
2. a threaded metal pin with a shaped head, used together with a matching nut to jo
a threaded metal pin with a shaped head, used together with a matching nut to join pieces of material
Asher tightened the bolt on the bicycle seat with a wrench.
The shelf was held in place by four metal bolts and matching nuts.
collocation: bolt + nut
Mizuki picked up a rusty bolt from the garage floor and threw it away.
The mechanic replaced the worn bolts on the car's suspension system.
Heloísa used a stainless steel bolt to fix the loose handle on the cupboard.
- screw
a screw cuts its own thread into the material; a bolt needs a nut
常見錯誤
3. a bright line of light that appears for a moment in the sky during a thunderstor
a bright line of light that appears for a moment in the sky during a thunderstorm
A bright bolt of lightning split the sky above the village.
collocation: bolt of lightning
Lien counted the seconds between the flash of the bolt and the sound of thunder.
Yara took a photo of the lightning bolt just as it lit up the whole valley.
A single bolt struck the old church tower during the storm.
Stefan watched the forked bolts dance across the dark clouds.
- flash
focuses on the light rather than the streak shape
- thunderbolt
includes the associated thunder; slightly literary
4. a long rolled piece of material such as fabric or wall covering, produced in a s
a long rolled piece of material such as fabric or wall covering, produced in a standard length for sale
The tailor ordered a bolt of fine linen for the wedding dress.
collocation: bolt of [fabric type]
Caio carried a bolt of silk wallpaper into the renovation room.
Eli unrolled the bolt of cotton and measured out three metres for the curtains.
The warehouse stored dozens of bolts of linen in different colours.
- roll
the everyday term; 'bolt' is the trade-specific word
5. a short, heavy projectile that is fired from a crossbow
a short, heavy projectile that is fired from a crossbow
The hunter loaded a single bolt into the crossbow and took aim at the deer.
Nikos retrieved the bolts from the practice target at the far end of the range.
collocation: retrieve / collect bolts
Nellie carved one wooden bolt after another during the winter evenings.
The crossbow bolt flew straight and hit the centre of the target.
- quarrel
historical term for a crossbow bolt; rarely used today
常見錯誤
6. a sudden rush away from a place, usually made to escape danger or get away quick
a sudden rush away from a place, usually made to escape danger or get away quickly
The horse's sudden bolt threw the rider off onto the grass.
Tunde made a bolt for the exit when the fire alarm went off.
collocation: make a bolt for [place]
Shanti spotted the snake and made a bolt for the house door.
The prisoner's bolt from the courtroom surprised everyone.
Ilan made a bolt across the street when the rain suddenly poured down.
7. the sliding metal piece inside a gun that pushes a cartridge into the firing cha
the sliding metal piece inside a gun that pushes a cartridge into the firing chamber and seals the rear end
Pedro cleaned the bolt of the rifle carefully after a day at the range.
The gun's bolt jammed and would not slide forward to load the next cartridge.
collocation: bolt jams / slides forward
Mauricio pulled the bolt back and checked that the chamber was empty.
The old rifle had a smooth bolt that moved like new.
- breechblock
more technical term for the part that seals the breech
bolting — verb
- boltingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- boltings3rd person singular
- boltinging-ing form
- boltingedpast simple
1. to run away suddenly and very fast, especially because you are frightened or sur
to run away suddenly and very fast, especially because you are frightened or surprised
The rabbit bolted into the bushes the moment it heard footsteps on the path.
verb + into [direction]
Hari's dog bolted out of the garden gate and ran straight down the street.
Haruto bolted from the kitchen when he smelled something burning.
The deer heard a noise and bolted across the open field.
Marco bolted up the stairs the second he heard his baby crying.
The horse was bolting across the field before anyone could catch it.
文法句型
bolt + adverb (away / out / off)
bolt + prepositional phrase (for / towards / into)
用法筆記
Often used for animals (horses, rabbits, dogs) or for people in a panicked situation. The direction of the movement is usually given with an adverb or prepositional phrase.
常見錯誤
2. to swallow food or drink in a hurry, barely chewing, usually because you are sho
to swallow food or drink in a hurry, barely chewing, usually because you are short on time
Bilal bolted his breakfast and rushed out the door to catch the school bus.
informal register
Adina bolted down her lunch between two classes and barely tasted it.
phrasal variant: bolt down
Ignacio bolted three slices of pizza while standing at the counter.
Yuna bolted her coffee and ran to catch the train.
Do not bolt your food like that — you will get a stomach ache.
Lena was bolting down her dinner when the power suddenly went out.
文法句型
bolt + food/drink
bolt down + food/drink
用法筆記
This sense is informal and used in everyday conversation. 'Bolt down' is a common variant that emphasises speed even more. It often suggests that the person did not enjoy the meal because they ate too quickly.
常見錯誤
3. to close a door, window, or gate by moving a metal bar across it into a slot so
to close a door, window, or gate by moving a metal bar across it into a slot so that it cannot open
Feng bolted the front door before going to bed every night.
Make sure you bolt the shed door — the wind keeps blowing it open.
typical object: door / window / gate
Ayana bolted the gate after bringing the cattle into the yard.
Esme bolted the window shut before the storm arrived.
The night watchman bolted every entrance before locking up.
Evelyn was bolting the garden gate when her neighbour called out to her.
文法句型
bolt + door/window/gate
常見錯誤
4. to attach one object firmly to another using threaded metal fasteners and nuts s
to attach one object firmly to another using threaded metal fasteners and nuts so that it does not come loose
The carpenter bolted the metal brackets to the wooden frame of the table.
bolt + object + to + surface
The engine block was bolted onto the mounting plate before assembly.
passive: be bolted onto
Xiu bolted the new shelves to the wall of her study room.
The safe was bolted to the concrete floor of the basement.
Arjun bolted the spare wheel onto the back of the jeep.
- unbolt
to remove the bolts and detach
文法句型
bolt + object + to/onto + surface
be bolted to/onto
用法筆記
Common in passive constructions, especially in technical descriptions of how things are built or assembled.