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bolt down

B1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

To fix something tightly to the floor or wall with metal bolts, or to eat food very fast without chewing properly.

Literal meaning: To secure something to a surface by driving bolts downward through it.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To secure something firmly to a surface or to the floor using bolts so it cannot be moved.

"The safety regulations require all heavy machinery to be bolted down to the workshop floor."

Grammar: separable
2 B2 idiomatic informal

To eat food very quickly, often without properly chewing it.

"He bolted down his lunch in five minutes and rushed back to his desk."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

The 'fasten with bolts' sense is the primary meaning and is common in technical and DIY contexts. The eating sense (eating very quickly) is less frequent for 'bolt down' specifically — 'bolt' alone, or 'wolf down', is more natural for that meaning.

Commonly used with

machinery shelving equipment food lunch floor

Forms

Base
bolt down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bolts down
he/she/it
Past simple
bolted down
yesterday
Past participle
bolted down
have + pp
-ing form
bolting down
continuous

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Synonyms

screw down fasten down secure fix in place wolf down gobble down

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