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Glite Dictionary
to bolt the door

to bolt the door

3 2.7
To slide a metal bar across a door to keep it closed
  • phrasal verb
  • /boʊlt ðə dɔr/
translation icon : asegurar la puerta
  • She quickly bolted the door after hearing a strange noise outside.
  • locked and bolted the door
  • bolted the door closed
  • bolted the door shut

Examples

Synonyms

to lock
vsto bolt the door
∞ 1.0

To fasten something with a key so other people cannot open it

uses a sliding internal bar instead of a keyed mechanism to prevent opening
to lock up
vsto bolt the door
97 2.6

Close a house or safe with a key to keep people out

is specific to one door using a sliding bar to physically stop opening
to bolt
vsto bolt the door
34 2.8

To fasten a door or gate with a sliding metal bar

secures by sliding that bar so it cannot be opened
to padlock
vsto bolt the door
11 3.4

To fasten something using a small metal lock with a U-shaped bar

uses an internal sliding bar rather than an external shackle for security

Antonyms

to open
∞ 1.0

To make something not closed so you can get in

to unbolt
3 3.7

To move a metal bar or lock that keeps a door closed

How Secure

to bar
7 2.8
to bolt the door
3 2.7
to shut
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

bolt the door infinitive
bolted the door past
bolted the door past participle
bolting the door present participle
bolts the door third person singular

Morphology

bolt + the + door

The meaning is directly and literally derived from combining 'bolt' (to fasten with a bolt) and 'door' (an entry barrier): it denotes fastening the door so it cannot be opened, which a learner who knows the constituent words can infer. This is a straightforward verb + object compositional pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner would readily understand it without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrase bolt the door comes from the simple action of sliding a metal bolt across a door to hold it closed. So today bolt the door means 'to lock a door so it cannot be opened'.