put the boot in
informalDefinition
› to kick someone when they are already on the groundHitting and beatingPunishing by causing pain › to make a bad situation worse, by criticizing or being unkind: After he lost his job, his wife put the boot in by announcing she was leaving him.Disapproving and criticizingDamaging reputation
(Definition of put the boot in from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Hitting and beating, but you might be interested in these topics from the Breaking and damaging topic area:
- Damaging and spoiling
- Destroying and demolishing
- Deteriorating and making worse
- Exploding and erupting
- Fragile and breakable
- Hitting against objects accidentally and colliding
- In bad condition
- Injuring and injuries
- Scratching and rubbing
- Squeezing and grinding
- Tearing and breaking into pieces
- Undamaged, unbroken or in good condition
- Upsetting and destabilizing
Browse the Dictionary
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put sth/sb forward phrasal verb
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put sth/sb in a pigeonhole idiom
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put sth/sb on the map idiom
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put sth/sb up phrasal verb
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put stock in sth idiom
- put the boot in idiom
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put the cart before the horse idiom
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put the fear of God into you idiom
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put the finishing touches to idiom
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put the flags out! idiom
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put the heat on sb idiom
Browse the Thesaurus
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- -bashing suffix (HIT)
- a bunch of fives idiom
- a rap on/over the knuckles idiom
- battered adjective (HIT)
- battering noun
- butt verb
- deck verb (HIT)
- hammer verb (HIT WITH FORCE)
- head-butt verb
- kick noun (HIT)
- kick verb
- knock sb's block off idiom
- licking noun (PUNISHMENT)
- pound verb
- swing noun (SIDEWAYS MOVEMENT)
- swipe verb (HIT)
- thump noun
- thump verb
- whack noun (HIT)
- whack verb
Topic:
Hitting and beating
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