lift oneself up by one's bootstraps

A form of pull oneself up by one's bootstraps — To begin an enterprise or recover from a setback without any outside help; to succeed only by one's own efforts or abilities.

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Meanings

verblift oneself up by one's bootstraps (third-person singular simple present lifts oneself up by one's bootstraps, present participle lifting oneself up by one's bootstraps, simple past and past participle lifted oneself up by one's bootstraps)

present singular third person lifts oneself up by one's bootstraps · participle present lifting oneself up by one's bootstraps · participle past lifted oneself up by one's bootstraps · past lifted oneself up by one's bootstraps

  1. alternativeAlternative form of pull oneself up by one's bootstraps.
Cite this entry
APA

lift oneself up by one's bootstraps. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lift%20oneself%20up%20by%20one's%20bootstraps

MLA

“lift oneself up by one's bootstraps.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lift%20oneself%20up%20by%20one's%20bootstraps. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lift oneself up by one's bootstraps,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lift%20oneself%20up%20by%20one's%20bootstraps.

Source: lift oneself up by one's bootstraps on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.