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
But coyotes have been steadily gaining territory, booting foxes out of any space wild enough for coyotes to live.
—
Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026
Those still using a 486 for one reason or another will still be able to run older Linux kernels and vintage operating systems—running old software without emulation or virtualization is one of the few reasons to keep booting up hardware this old.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2026
Mission specialist Christina Koch noted an issue with booting up the part of Orion’s waste management system that collects urine.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 Apr. 2026
Eldridge expressed disdain for booting a routine grounder in the seventh, but rookie manager Tony Vitello came away impressed with the top prospect’s effort on defense.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Strom added that the offering outreach to homeless people with the threat of booting them and throwing their belongings out is counterproductive.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
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
The push by House lawmakers on kids’ safety legislation comes as Australia tests out one of the most far-reaching approaches to protecting kids online — booting them off entirely.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2025
Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026
Those still using a 486 for one reason or another will still be able to run older Linux kernels and vintage operating systems—running old software without emulation or virtualization is one of the few reasons to keep booting up hardware this old.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2026
Mission specialist Christina Koch noted an issue with booting up the part of Orion’s waste management system that collects urine.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 Apr. 2026
Eldridge expressed disdain for booting a routine grounder in the seventh, but rookie manager Tony Vitello came away impressed with the top prospect’s effort on defense.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Strom added that the offering outreach to homeless people with the threat of booting them and throwing their belongings out is counterproductive.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
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
The push by House lawmakers on kids’ safety legislation comes as Australia tests out one of the most far-reaching approaches to protecting kids online — booting them off entirely.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for booting
Verb
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There was an emotional honesty that embraced the idea that growth isn’t always linear (see Andie from The Devil Wears Prada, fumbling a relationship with a good guy because her career came first).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Be ill-prepared for Christmas and face the danger of fumbling your most profitable time of the year.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
This kind of build-up is unusual because volatile elements like sodium, which can get exposed after an object is blasted with micrometeorites, are usually later depleted by solar winds blowing from the sun and the general influence of space.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Some progressives have cheered Luigi Mangione for murdering Brian Thompson, a health-care CEO.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The unsealed indictment formally charges Bowen with murdering Metayer Bowen with a firearm and tampering with evidence.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Booting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/booting. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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