Meaning & use
boot
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Meanings
nouncountable
A strong shoe that covers the foot and ankle, and sometimes the lower leg.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a boot' or 'boots'.
Patterns
- a pair of boots
- wear boots
- put on your boots
She put on her boots and went out into the snow.
These boots are made of leather and will last for years.
He bought a new pair of boots for hiking.
nouncountableBritish
The covered space at the back of a car for carrying luggage (British English).
Grammar: Countable: usually 'the boot'. In American English, this is called the trunk.
Patterns
- in the boot
- open the boot
- put something in the boot
Put your suitcase in the boot.
The boot was full, so we had to carry our bags inside.
He opened the boot to get the spare tire.
verbtransitive or intransitivecomputing
To start a computer or program so that it becomes ready to use.
Grammar: Can be used with an object (boot the computer) or without (the computer boots). Often followed by 'up'.
Patterns
- boot up
- boot the computer
- boot from a disk
It takes a few minutes to boot the computer.
The system won't boot because of a hardware problem.
Press this key to boot from the USB drive.
Word forms
| plural | boots |
|---|---|
| third person singular | boots |
| past tense | booted |
| past participle | booted |
| -ing form | booting |
Common combinations
- a pair of boots
- He bought a pair of boots for the winter.
- boot up
- She booted up her laptop and checked her email.
- car boot
- We packed the car boot with camping gear.
- boot camp
- The new recruits were sent to boot camp for basic training.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- booted adjective
- Wearing boots; also used for a computer that has been started.
- bootie noun
- A soft shoe for a baby, or a short boot for women.
Commonly confused: boot or boat?
boot vs boat
A boat is a vehicle for traveling on water; a boot is footwear or part of a car.
Practice
In British English, where would you put your luggage in a car?
Choose one answer.
In British English, the luggage space at the back of a car is called the boot. 'Trunk' is the American word. 'Bonnet' is the British word for the front part that covers the engine (American: hood), and 'bumper' is the bar at the front or back.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “boot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.