bolt

bolt

I

bolt¹ /bəʊlt $ boʊlt/ noun [countable]1.  LOCK a metal bar that you slide across a door or window to fasten it
2.
   SCREW .a screw with a flat head and no point, for fastening things together
3. a bolt from/out of the blue news that is sudden and unexpected:
    Was this money a bolt from the blue or did you know you were going to get it?
4. bolt of lightning lightning that appears as a white line in the sky:
    There’s not much left of his house after it was struck by a bolt of lightning. ⇨ thunderbolt
5. make a bolt for it British English to suddenly try to escape from somewhere:
    They attacked the driver and he straightaway made a bolt for it.
6.  WEAPON a short heavy arrow that is fired from a crossbow
7.  CLOTH a large long roll of cloth
⇨ have shot your bolt at shoot¹(24), ⇨ the nuts and bolts of something at nut¹(6)

II

bolt² verb
1. [intransitive] to suddenly run somewhere very quickly, especially in order to escape or because you are frightened:
    The horse reared up and bolted.
    Kevin had bolted through the open window.
2. [transitive] (also bolt down) to eat very quickly
   SYN  gobble:
    He bolted down his breakfast.
3. [transitive] to fasten two things together using a bolt
    bolt something to something
    The cell contained an iron bedframe bolted to the floor.
    bolt something together
    The boxes were made of heavy panels of metal bolted together.
4. [transitive] to lock a door or window by sliding a bolt across
     

THESAURUS

■ animals running
   ▪ trot to run fairly slowly, taking short steps – used especially about horses and dogs: A little dog was trotting behind her.
   ▪ gallop if a horse gallops, it runs very quickly: The horse galloped off across the field.
   ▪ bolt to suddenly run somewhere very fast, especially in order to escape: Suddenly a fox bolted out from beneath a hedge.

III

bolt³ adverb
sit/stand bolt upright to sit or stand with your back very straight, often because something has frightened you:
    She sat bolt upright in the back seat.