Oxford Essential Dictionary
boot
noun
1 a shoe that covers your foot and ankle and sometimes part of your leg
2 (British) (American trunk) the part of a car where you can put bags and boxes, usually at the back
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
boot
I. boot1 S2 W3 /buːt/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Sense 1-3, 5-7: Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: bote]
[Sense 4: Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old English; Origin: bot 'advantage, profit, use']
1. a type of shoe that covers your whole foot and the lower part of your leg ⇨ Wellington:
hiking boots
a pair of boots ⇨ ↑rubber boot
2. British English an enclosed space at the back of a car, used for carrying bags etc SYN trunk American English:
The new model has a bigger boot.
3. the boot informal when someone is forced to leave their job SYN the sack British English ⇨ dismiss:
The chairman denied that he had been given the boot.
He should have got the boot years ago.
4. to boot in addition to everything else you have mentioned:
She was a great sportswoman, and beautiful to boot.
5. put the boot in British English informal
a) to criticize or be cruel to someone who is already in a bad situation
b) to attack someone by kicking them repeatedly, especially when they are on the ground
6. the boot is on the other foot British English used to say someone who has caused problems for other people in the past is now in a situation in which people are causing problems for them
7. American English a metal object that the police attach to one of the wheels of an illegally parked car so that it cannot be moved SYN wheel clamp British English
⇨ be/get too big for your boots at ↑big1(14), ⇨ lick sb’s boots at ↑lick1(7), ⇨ tough as old boots at ↑tough1(2)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ types of boots
▪ leather boots He bought some sturdy leather boots.
▪ wellington boots British English, rubber boots American English (=rubber boots that stop your feet and legs getting wet) The kids put on their rubber boots and went out in the rain.
▪ walking/hiking boots In the mountains you’ll need some strong walking boots.
▪ football/rugby/riding/ski boots Take your muddy football boots off before you come inside.
▪ ankle boots (=only as high as your ankles) Ankle boots are fashionable again this autumn.
▪ long boots (=as high as your knees or thighs) I bought a pair of long leather boots.
▪ knee-high boots She looked fabulous in a mini-skirt and knee-high boots.
■ phrases
▪ a pair of boots I really need a new pair of boots this winter.
II. boot2 BrE AmE verb
[Sense 1: Date: 1900-2000; Origin: bootstrap 'to boot up' (1900-2000), probably from bootstrap (noun); ⇨ ↑bootstraps]
[Sense 2-3: Date: 1800-1900; Origin: ⇨ ↑boot1]
1. (also boot up) [intransitive and transitive] to start the program that makes a computer ready to be used ⇨ load
2. [transitive] informal to kick someone or something hard
boot something in/round/down etc
The goalkeeper booted the ball upfield.
3. [transitive] American English to stop someone from moving their illegally parked vehicle by fixing a piece of equipment to one of the wheels SYN clamp British English
boot somebody ↔ out phrasal verb informal
to force someone to leave a place, job, or organization, especially because they have done something wrong SYN throw out:
His fellow students booted him out of the class.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
boot
▪ I. boot [boot boots booted booting] noun, verb [buːt] [buːt]
noun
1. a strong shoe that covers the foot and ankle and often the lower part of the leg: (BrE) walking boots
• (NAmE) hiking boots
• a pair of black leather boots
• cowboy boots
see also desert boot, football boot, wellington
2. (BrE) (NAmE trunk) the space at the back of a car that you put bags, cases, etc. in
• I'll put the luggage in the boot.
• Did you lock the boot?
see also car boot sale
3. usually singular (informal) a quick hard kick
• He gave the ball a tremendous boot.
4. (NAmE) = Denver boot
Rem: or
more at be/get too big for your boots at big adj., fill sb's shoes/boots at fill v., lick sb's boots at lick v., (as) tough as old boots at tough adj.
Word Origin:
n. and v. Middle English Old Norse bóti Old French bote
Old English bōt ‘advantage, remedy’ Germanic Dutch boete German Busse ‘penance, fine’ better best
Example Bank:
• The meat was as tough as old boots.
• What have you got in the boot?
• a pair of heavy walking boots
Idioms: boot is on the other foot ▪ get the boot ▪ given the boot ▪ put the boot in
Derived: boot somebody out
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
boot / buːt / noun [ C ] (SHOE)
A1 a type of shoe that covers the whole foot and the lower part of the leg:
wellington boots
walking boots
riding boots
See picture clothes 10 (shoes)
boot / buːt / noun [ C ] UK ( US trunk ) (CAR)
B1 a covered space at the back of a car, for storing things in
See picture car exterior
boot / buːt / noun (END)
the boot [ S ] UK informal the situation in which your job is taken away from you, usually because you have done something wrong or badly:
She got the boot for stealing money from the till.
Williams has been given the boot from the team.
boot / buːt / noun [ C ] informal (KICK)
a kick with the foot:
He gave the ball a good boot.
boot / buːt / noun [ C ] ( also Denver boot ) US (WHEEL)
a wheel clamp
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
boot
/bu:t/
(boots, booting, booted)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Boots are shoes that cover your whole foot and the lower part of your leg.
He sat in a kitchen chair, reached down and pulled off his boots...
He was wearing riding pants, high boots, and spurs.
N-COUNT
see also wellington
2.
Boots are strong, heavy shoes which cover your ankle and which have thick soles. You wear them to protect your feet, for example when you are walking or taking part in sport.
The soldiers’ boots resounded in the street...
N-COUNT
3.
If you boot something such as a ball, you kick it hard. (INFORMAL)
He booted the ball 40 yards back up field...
VERB: V n adv/prep
4.
The boot of a car is a covered space at the back or front, in which you carry things such as luggage and shopping. (BRIT; in AM, use trunk)
He opened the boot to put my bags in...
N-COUNT
5.
If you get the boot or are given the boot, you are told that you are not wanted any more, either in your job or by someone you are having a relationship with. (INFORMAL)
She was a disruptive influence, and after a year or two she got the boot...
PHRASE: V inflects
6.
If someone puts the boot in, they attack another person by saying something cruel, often when the person is already feeling weak or upset. (BRIT INFORMAL)
PHRASE: V inflects
7.
You can say to boot to emphasize that you have added something else to something or to a list of things that you have just said. (FORMAL)
He is making money and receiving free advertising to boot!
= into the bargain
PHRASE: cl/group PHR [emphasis]
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1boot /ˈbuːt/ noun, pl boots
1 [count] : a covering usually of leather or rubber for the entire foot and the lower part of the leg
• You'll need a pair of warm boots for winter.
• It's been snowing, so you'd better wear your boots.
• hiking boots [=boots worn for hiking]
• riding boots [=boots worn for horseback riding]
- see picture at shoe; see also booted, cowboy boot, hobnail boot, ski boot
2 [count] : a forceful kick with the foot
• She gave the ball a boot, and it landed on the other side of the field.
3 the boot informal : a sudden dismissal from a job
• He got the boot [=got fired] for talking to the press about company secrets.
• I heard they gave her the boot. [=they fired her; they told her she could no longer work for them]
4 [count] Brit : the trunk of a car
5 [count] US : denver boot
as tough as old boots
- see 1tough
lick someone's boots
- see 1lick
the boot is on the other foot
- see 1foot
to boot : besides, also
• He's smart, funny, and handsome to boot.
too big for your boots
- see 1big
to put the boot in Brit informal
1 : to treat someone in a cruel or critical way
2 : to kick someone again and again
- see also bossy-boots