bolter

noun

bolt·​er ˈbōl-tər 

plural bolters

1

: one that bolts: such as

a

: a horse given to running away

b

: a person who ends his or her affiliation with a political party

2

military aviation : a failed attempt to land on an aircraft carrier that occurs when an aircraft's tailhook misses the arresting gear on the carrier's deck so that the aircraft is required to take off again without stopping

… more than a third of night carrier approaches end as bolters.

—Peter Garrison

Examples of bolter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Another late bolter could be Madrid right-back Lucas Vazquez, a 32-year-old who won the last of his nine senior Spain caps at the 2018 World Cup. —The Athletic Uk Staff, The Athletic, 24 Apr. 2024

According to his obituary, the Perry County man was an underground roof bolter. —courier-journal.com, 15 Aug. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1699, in the meaning defined at sense 1