as in fumbling
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
he booted the answer of what should have been an easy question
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Recent Examples of booting
In fact, the IOC might consider booting the sport altogether in June.
—
Dana Oneil, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Here’s what audiences should know before booting up their screens.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
For some, such as Platner, who supports Medicare for All, that also means booting out the current congressional leaders, who critics accuse of being too cozy with donors.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Gonzalez bounced back on his next attempt, booting a 52-yarder to put the Falcons up 17-14 as time expired in the third quarter.
—CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025
The board changes come just months after Novo appointed Doustdar as chief executive, booting former CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, in part blaming him for the current trajectory of the company and its shares.
—Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025
Prince Andrew's ex-wife Ferguson, however, has also dropped use of her duchess title amid the scandal, and King Charles is reportedly booting the former couple (who continue to live together) from their longtime Royal Lodge home.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Upon booting up the game and working through a pretty robust character creator, players arrive in Lumiose City and are immediately ambushed by a content creator/social media manager working for the corporation Quasartico, Inc.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
BMCs also enable some of the most sensitive operations, such as reflashing the firmware for the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) that’s responsible for loading the server OS when booting.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
Dana Oneil, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Here’s what audiences should know before booting up their screens.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
For some, such as Platner, who supports Medicare for All, that also means booting out the current congressional leaders, who critics accuse of being too cozy with donors.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Gonzalez bounced back on his next attempt, booting a 52-yarder to put the Falcons up 17-14 as time expired in the third quarter.
—CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025
The board changes come just months after Novo appointed Doustdar as chief executive, booting former CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, in part blaming him for the current trajectory of the company and its shares.
—Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025
Prince Andrew's ex-wife Ferguson, however, has also dropped use of her duchess title amid the scandal, and King Charles is reportedly booting the former couple (who continue to live together) from their longtime Royal Lodge home.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Upon booting up the game and working through a pretty robust character creator, players arrive in Lumiose City and are immediately ambushed by a content creator/social media manager working for the corporation Quasartico, Inc.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
BMCs also enable some of the most sensitive operations, such as reflashing the firmware for the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) that’s responsible for loading the server OS when booting.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booting
Verb
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Super Bowl 60 saw the Seattle Seahawks claim victory over the New England Patriots, but there were plenty of other winners — and losers — off the field during the game, with some brands scoring with their commercials and others fumbling their attempts for a loss.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
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The Blue Demons’ guard panicked, fumbling the ball, and Fudd read her perfectly.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Small armies of residents still gather to observe federal officers from cars or on foot – honking horns and blowing whistles to alert neighbors.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
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After blowing a 22-point lead in Friday’s loss to the Celtics in Boston, the Heat closed its quick two-game trip at 1-1.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Though Ronald Heath was charged with murdering Hammett, prosecutors ended up dropping the prosecution when Kenneth changed his mind and decided not to testify against his brother again, saying his life had been threatened.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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In 2025 Erin Patterson, a 51-year-old Australian woman, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering three relatives and trying to kill another by intentionally feeding them a beef Wellington that included poisonous fungi in the ingredients.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Booting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booting. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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