1
2
as in to race
to proceed or move quickly
the cat bolted for the food dish the minute he spied it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to fly
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the rabbit bolted when it saw the fox approaching
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
5
as in to inhale
to swallow or eat greedily
the way you bolted those hot dogs, it's no wonder you're feeling a little queasy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of bolt
Meeting both expectations requires intelligence embedded across the enterprise—not bolted onto marketing campaigns.
—
Gary Drenik, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Some organizations are bolting AI onto legacy workflows and gaining marginal productivity.
—Mohamad Ali, Fortune, 19 Jan. 2026
Temperatures consistently above 70ºF will cause bolting.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 Jan. 2026
New metal rails and loops have been bolted into the planter boxes around the trees lining Brazos Street in downtown Austin, prompting online speculation that the additions are intended to prevent people from sitting or lying along the planter edges.
—Chaya Tong, Austin American Statesman, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bolt
Gary Drenik, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Some organizations are bolting AI onto legacy workflows and gaining marginal productivity.
—Mohamad Ali, Fortune, 19 Jan. 2026
Temperatures consistently above 70ºF will cause bolting.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 Jan. 2026
New metal rails and loops have been bolted into the planter boxes around the trees lining Brazos Street in downtown Austin, prompting online speculation that the additions are intended to prevent people from sitting or lying along the planter edges.
—Chaya Tong, Austin American Statesman, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bolt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bolt
Verb
-
Even as Covid-19 disrupted global travel, the length of operational high-speed lines jumped by 40% between 2020 and 2022, from 27,300 to 36,580 miles — most of it in China.—
Ben Jones,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
-
This jumps the number of accidents to 151 since the start of the harsh winter weather Saturday.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Clippers raced to a 14-5 lead, but the Knicks answered with eight straight points and the game was close for the first three quarters.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
In Altadena, employees with the small local water utilities raced across town protecting and fixing the water systems firefighters relied on.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This is like ignoring weather conditions when flying an airplane.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Narcotraffickers have recruited a number of couriers to fly to Miami and other cities to set up phony businesses with corporate bank accounts, authorities say.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Colbert exclaimed as the crowd cheered.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Ruzicka exclaimed in disbelief.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That means that, for 20 years, as the real ambulances would idle on set, the crew and actors would be inhaling the diesel fumes that being emitted from the loud, life-saving vehicles.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
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For decades the capital had worked like a slowly exploding atom bomb, inhaling poor Filipinos from the provinces and spitting them into distant suburbs, transforming rural barangays into slums of concrete and zinc.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
When officers decided to pull him over and arrest him, Larkin sped off on East 83rd Avenue.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
-
How has that changed as the production schedule has sped up and the content has also matured?—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
No one was injured, and the suspects fled before deputies arrived.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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Other offenses include fleeing from police, escaping from the Northeast Regional Corrections Center, theft, trespassing and giving police a false name.—
Tom Olsen,
Twin Cities,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The crowd, rapidly swelling into the hundreds, screamed insults and obscenities at the agents, some of whom shouted back mockingly.—
Jack Brook,
Twin Cities,
25 Jan. 2026
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While the officers secured the detainees in the van, Arturo Gonzalez, 23, shouted into a megaphone promising that this would not be the last time protestors take such actions.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bolt. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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