boot

noun

1. A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg.
2. A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg.
3. (uncountable)A blow with the foot; a kick.
4. A flexible cover of rubber or plastic, which may be preformed to a particular shape and used to protect a shaft, lever, switch, or opening from dust, dirt, moisture, etc.
5. (figuratively, with-definite-article)Oppression, an oppressor.

   “Dr. Jayakar was not only one of them but was at places the prime mover in the historic decisions taken by a nation struggling to get free of the British boot.”

   “Never in its long history, and one rich with brutal inequities too, had Paris known the disgrace of seeing one section of its community prosper under the boot of an invader”

   “Chronic unrest in Ireland, long under the British boot, was about to culminate in a popular rising.”

6. A torture device used on the feet or legs, such as a Spanish boot.

   “The boot, thumbscrews, the shackles, and a contraption called the "warm hose", were only a few of the inflictions being too terrible to mention.”

7. (US)A parking enforcement device used to immobilize a car until it can be towed or a fine is paid; a wheel clamp.
8. A rubber bladder on the leading edge of an aircraft’s wing, which is inflated periodically to remove ice buildup; a deicing boot.
9. (obsolete)A place at the side of a coach, where attendants rode; also, a low outside place before and behind the body of the coach.
10. (archaic)A place for baggage at either end of an old-fashioned stagecoach.
11. (Australia, British, New-Zealand, South-Africa)The luggage storage compartment of a sedan or saloon car.

    “He heaved the bag and its contents over the lip of the boot and on to the flagstones. When it was out, no longer in that boot but on the ground, and the bag was still intact, he knew the worst was over.”

    “The body is constructed of welded steel panels, with the bonnet, doors and boot lid in aluminium on steel frames.”

    “Peers leant against the outside of the car a lit up her filter tip and watched as Bauer and Putin placed their compact suitcases in the boot of the BMW and slammed the boot lid down.”

12. (informal, with-definite-article)The act or process of removing or firing someone (dismissing them from a job or other post).

    “He was useless so he got the boot.”

13. (British, slang)An unattractive person, ugly woman.

    “old boot”

14. (US, slang)A recently arrived recruit; a rookie.

    “Did you even go to OCS, you complete and utter boot!?”

15. (US, plural, usually)A soldier, especially a footsoldier.

    “We do not anticipate there will be US boots on the ground to help quell the violence.”

16. (ethnic, slang, slur)A black person.

    “My Dad has taught me that in England some foolish man may call me sambo, darkie, boot or munt or nigger, even.”

17. A hard or rigid case for a long firearm, typically moulded to the shape of the gun.

    “They drew in their horses and dismounted. The others riding ahead were already out of sight in the darkness. Beyond them shone the lights of Bou Saada. Tarzan removed his rifle from its boot and loosened his revolver in its holster.”

18. A bobbled ball.
19. The inflated flag leaf sheath of a wheat plant.
20. (slang)A linear amplifier used with CB radio.

    “Because of overcrowding, many a CB enthusiast (called an "apple") is strapping an illegal linear amplifier ("boots") on to his transceiver ("ears") […]”

21. (slang)A tyre.
22. (US)A crust end-piece of a loaf of bread.
23. (archaic, countable, dialectal, uncountable)Remedy, amends.

    “Thou art boot for many a bruise / And healest many a wound.”

    “next her Son, our soul's best boot”

24. (uncountable)Profit, plunder.
25. (countable, uncountable)That which is given to make an exchange equal, or to make up for the deficiency of value in one of the things exchanged; compensation; recompense.

    “I'll give you boot, I'll give you three for one.”

    “If mortgaged property is transferred, the amount of the mortgage is part of the boot. If both parties to the transaction transfer mortgages to each other, the party giving up the larger debt treats the excess as taxable boot.”

    “If the target retains the boot and uses it for, say, paying its debt, there is taxation on the boot.”

26. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)Profit; gain; advantage; use.

    “Then talk no more of flight, it is no boot.”

27. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)Repair work; the act of fixing structures or buildings.
28. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)A medicinal cure or remedy.
29. (archaic)The act or process of bootstrapping; the starting or re-starting of a computing device.

    “It took three boots, but I finally got the application installed.”

30. (archaic, informal)A bootleg recording.

    “I am looking to trade Iron Maiden boots. I have many Iron Maiden bootlegs. I have lots of Metallica. I trade CDR's, tapes and videos.”

31. (abbreviation, alt-of, initialism)Initialism of Build–own–operate–transfer.

verb

1. (transitive)To kick.

   “I booted the ball toward my teammate.”

   “You nearly booted me in the face!”

   “The one certainty is that the redrafting will delay by several months the general election that was supposed to be held at the end of this year. Mr Prayuth has implied that elections cannot now be held until after King Vajiralongkorn's coronation, which itself cannot take place until after his father's elaborate cremation, scheduled for October. All this boots the long-promised polls well into 2018.”

2. To put boots on, especially for riding.

   “Coated and booted for it.”

3. (Canada, US, colloquial, usually)To step on the accelerator of a vehicle for faster acceleration than usual or to drive faster than usual.

   “The storm is coming fast! Boot it!”

   “We had to boot it all the way there to get to our flight on time.”

4. (informal)To eject; kick out.

   “We need to boot those troublemakers as soon as possible.”

   “The senator was booted from the committee for unethical behavior.”

5. (informal)To disconnect forcibly; to eject from an online service, conversation, etc.

   “As an IRC member with operator status, Swallow was able to manage who was allowed to remain in chat sessions and who got booted off the channel.”

   “Even flagrant violators of the TOS are not booted.”

   “In Electroserver, the kick command disconnects a user totally from the server and gives him a message about why he was booted.”

6. (slang)To vomit.

   “Sorry, I didn’t mean to boot all over your couch.”

7. (Multicultural-London-English, slang)To shoot, to kill by gunfire.

   “C4 run man through the alley Get a man down with the swammy Get a man down with the whammy Boot couple niggas on the road No face no case with the bally (booting)”

8. (archaic, impersonal, intransitive, transitive)To be beneficial, to help.

   “It boots thee not to be compaſsionate, / After our ſentence, plaining comes too late.”

   “It bootes me not to threat, I must ſpeake faire, / The legate of the Pope will be obeyd: […]”

   “1678 Richard Hooker, “A Sermon found in the study of Bishop Andrews” in Izaak Walton, The Life of Dr. Sanderson, late Bishop of Lincoln, London: Richard Marriot, p. 262, What booteth it to others that we wish them well, and do nothing for them?”

   “What could be wanting in my father but to have wrote a book to publiſh this notion of his to the world? Little boots it to the ſubtle ſpeculatiſt to ſtand ſingle in his opinions,—unleſs he gives them proper proper vent: […]”

   “Think you that we should quarrel with the French? / What boots to us your victories, your glory? / We pay, we fight, you profit at your ease.”

9. (archaic, impersonal, intransitive)To matter; to be relevant.

   “I will go and offer myſelf to this divorce—it boots not what becomes of me.”

   “[W]hat subdued / To change like this, a mind so far imbued / With scorn of man, it little boots to know; [...]”

   “What boots whether it be Westminster or a little country spire which covers your ashes, or if, a few days sooner or later, the world forgets you?”

10. (archaic, rare, transitive)To enrich.

    “And I will boot thee with what guift beſide / Thy modeſtie can begge.”

11. (archaic)To bootstrap; to start a system, e.g. a computer, by invoking its boot process or bootstrap.

    “When arriving at the office, the first thing I do is boot my machine.”

name

1. A surname.
2. A small village in Eskdale parish, Cumberland, Cumbria, England, previously in Copeland borough (OS grid ref NY1701).