Bolt

English Meaning

A shaft or missile intended to be shot from a crossbow or catapult, esp. a short, stout, blunt-headed arrow; a quarrel; an arrow, or that which resembles an arrow; a dart.

1. A bar made of wood or metal that slides into a socket and is used to fasten doors and gates.
2. A metal bar or rod in the mechanism of a lock that is thrown or withdrawn by turning the key.
3. A fastener consisting of a threaded pin or rod with a head at one end, designed to be inserted through holes in assembled parts and secured by a mated nut that is tightened by applying torque.
4. A sliding metal bar that positions the cartridge in breechloading rifles, closes the breech, and ejects the spent cartridge.
5. A similar device in any breech mechanism.
6. A short, heavy arrow with a thick head, used especially with a crossbow.
7. A flash of lightning; a thunderbolt.
8. A sudden or unexpected event: The announcement was a veritable bolt.
9. A sudden movement toward or away.
10. A large roll of cloth of a definite length, especially as it comes from the loom.
11. To secure or lock with or as if with a bolt.
12. To arrange or roll (lengths of cloth, for example) on or in a bolt.
13. To eat (food) hurriedly and with little chewing; gulp.
14. To desert or withdraw support from (a political party).
15. To utter impulsively; blurt.
16. Archaic To shoot or discharge (a missile, such as an arrow).
17. To move or spring suddenly.
18. To start suddenly and run away: The horse bolted at the sound of the shot. The frightened child bolted from the room.
19. To break away from an affiliation, as from a political party.
20. Botany To flower or produce seeds prematurely or develop a flowering stem from a rosette.
21. bolt from the blue A sudden, shocking surprise or turn of events.
22. bolt upright In a rigidly vertical position: sat bolt upright.
23. To pass (flour, for example) through a sieve.