pulling 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. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of pull oneself up by one's bootstraps
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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