to bolt down
1
6.1
- phrasal verb
- Informal
- Startled by the loud noise, the dog bolted down the street in fright.
Examples
-
Like a rabbit, I bolted down the fire escape.
Fiction book (1994) -
When the alarm went off, I bolted down the stairs to escape the building.
-
Thinking quickly, Animal bolts down a small alleyway.
Fiction book (1998) -
As soon as he saw the bear, he bolted down the trail to safety.
Synonyms
907
1.6
To leave secretly and quickly to get away from danger or control
583
2.4
To run away from a place because it is dangerous
361
2.0
Leave a place suddenly, often to avoid someone or something
353
3.7
To leave a place or person suddenly, often without saying goodbye
78
2.3
To run away suddenly to escape danger
67
1.0
To move very quickly to reach a place
35
5.3
To try to escape quickly, often by running
25
4.4
Leave a place quickly to avoid being caught after causing or seeing trouble
24
3.8
Leave suddenly because you are in a hurry
20
9.3
To run away quickly because you are afraid
19
6.6
Leave a place quickly because people are angry or you are in trouble
18
8.3
To leave a place very quickly to escape danger or trouble
18
9.2
Leave a place quickly to avoid trouble or danger
17
8.4
To leave a place quickly to avoid trouble or danger
10
5.6
To leave a place quickly to escape danger or trouble
7
4.9
Leave a place suddenly and quickly because you feel scared
7
7.0
To run away quickly because you are afraid
7
5.8
To leave a place suddenly and unexpectedly
6
7.2
Leave quickly to go somewhere or to avoid trouble
6
8.0
To leave a place very quickly to avoid danger or trouble
5
7.8
To run away quickly to escape danger
4
2.5
Leave a place quickly because you are in a hurry
3
1.7
To suddenly start running, often after walking or standing still
3
6.0
To leave a place quickly to avoid danger or trouble
2
9.0
To leave quickly to escape or avoid something
2
7.1
Move away quickly to avoid something you are afraid of
1
5.8
To move quickly and lightly away, often because something scares you
1
9.0
Move quickly on foot to escape or reach a place fast
1
7.2
To run or move very quickly without control
1
6.8
To run away quickly, usually because you are afraid
1
8.6
Run quickly into the woods to escape danger
1
9.9
To leave a place quickly and secretly, often taking things or someone
1
9.3
To run away quickly to avoid being caught
1
3.9
Get away very quickly to avoid being hurt
Run away quickly to escape danger or trouble
Antonyms
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is only partly predictable: if a learner knows the verb sense 'bolt' = 'run away/suddenly dash' and understands 'down' as indicating movement along a path (e.g. 'down the street'), they can compose the sense 'run away quickly'. However, 'bolt' also commonly appears with a different sense ('to eat hastily') and the particle 'down' does not always signal this directional meaning, so the specific idiomatic use is not fully transparent to a B1 learner who only knows the basic constituent definitions provided.
Etymology
Bolt down comes from the word bolt, which means to move very fast, with down showing the direction; picture a horse or person suddenly running off down a hall like an arrow. So, bolt down means 'to run away quickly'.