cleats

cleats — noun

1. Shoes whose soles have short pointed pieces of rubber, plastic, or metal stickin

1.名詞B1
釋義

Shoes whose soles have short pointed pieces of rubber, plastic, or metal sticking out, or those projecting pieces themselves, designed to stop the wearer from slipping on grass or soft ground during sports.

例句

Asher laced up his cleats before running onto the muddy soccer field.

lace up + cleats (putting sports shoes on)

After the rain, the football players changed into longer cleats for better traction.

同義詞
  • studs

    British English term for the projections on football/rugby boots; rarely used for the shoes themselves

  • spikes

    Track-and-field shoes with pointed metal projections; also baseball shoes in some contexts

  • football boots

    UK term for the shoes worn to play football, which have studs on the sole

反義詞
  • flats

    Shoes with smooth, flat soles offering no extra grip on soft ground

文法句型

cleats (plural): pair of cleats, my/your/his cleats

用法筆記

In American English the term 'cleats' almost always refers to the shoes, not the individual projections. To talk about one projection, use 'cleat' (singular). British English more often uses 'studs' for the projections on football boots.

常見錯誤

❌I bought new cleat for the game.
✅I bought new cleats for the game.
💡'cleats' is almost always plural when referring to the shoes.
❌He wore his soccer spikes to the baseball game.
✅He wore his soccer cleats to the baseball game.
💡'spikes' usually refers to track-and-field shoes with metal points, not field-sport cleats.

2. A wedge-shaped block of wood, metal, or rubber fixed to a surface or placed unde

2.名詞C1
釋義

A wedge-shaped block of wood, metal, or rubber fixed to a surface or placed under an object to stop it from sliding, rolling, or moving out of position.

例句

The carpenter nailed a wooden cleat to the wall to hold up the shelf.

wooden cleat + nailed to wall (common fix)

Nikhil slipped a rubber cleat under the wheel to stop the trailer from rolling.

同義詞
  • chock

    A wedge placed under a wheel or barrel to stop it rolling; more common than 'cleat' in vehicle contexts

  • wedge

    General term for any triangular piece used to separate, lift, or secure

文法句型

cleat + of + material

cleat + under/beneath + object

用法筆記

Distinguish from noun sense 1: this sense refers to any wedge-shaped chock or stop, not to sports footwear. Often used in carpentry, loading docks, and vehicle maintenance.

常見錯誤

❌He put a cleat behind the door to keep it open.
✅He put a wedge behind the door to keep it open.
💡A cleat is fixed or placed to prevent movement, not to hold a door open.

3. A fitting made of wood or metal with two short arms sticking out, found on boats

3.名詞C1
釋義

A fitting made of wood or metal with two short arms sticking out, found on boats, docks, and climbing routes, designed so you can wrap a rope around it in a figure-eight pattern and keep the rope tight.

例句

The sailor wrapped the mooring rope twice around the metal cleat on the dock.

wrapped [rope] around + cleat (standard tying action)

Tariro tied the kayak to a wooden cleat before climbing out onto the pier.

同義詞
  • bollard

    A large, single-post mooring post on a dock; different shape from a two-horn cleat

  • belaying pin

    A removable metal or wooden pin used on older sailing ships to secure ropes

文法句型

cleat on [boat/dock]

tie [rope] to a cleat

cleat + around

用法筆記

The most common type is the 'horn cleat', which has two symmetrical arms. 'Cam cleat' is a different design with spring-loaded moving parts that grip the rope automatically — common on sailboats for quick adjustments.

常見錯誤

❌She tied the rope to the cleat with a knot.
✅She wound the rope around the cleat in a figure-eight pattern.
💡A cleat grips by friction when you wrap rope around it; you do not normally tie a knot in the rope at the cleat.

4. A narrow strip of wood or metal fastened across a larger surface — such as a doo

4.名詞C2
釋義

A narrow strip of wood or metal fastened across a larger surface — such as a door, floorboard, or frame — to add strength, prevent warping, or hold adjacent pieces in alignment.

例句

The builder nailed a steel cleat across the joint to stop the frame from twisting.

steel cleat + across + joint (reinforcement technique)

Oak cleats ran the full width of the door to keep the panels aligned.

同義詞
  • batten

    A long, thin strip of wood used in construction for similar reinforcing purposes

  • strap

    A flexible or rigid strip of metal used to reinforce joints, often in timber framing

文法句型

cleat + across [surface]

cleat + of [material]

用法筆記

In this sense the cleat is a permanent structural component that spans a joint or seam. It differs from the wedge-shaped support (noun sense 2) in being a long, thin strip rather than a short, triangular block.

常見錯誤

❌I used a cleat to patch the hole in the wall.
✅I used a cleat to brace the joint between the two boards.
💡A cleat reinforces across a seam; it does not fill a hole.

cleats — verb