pulled 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

verb
  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of pull oneself up by one's bootstraps
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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