raise oneself up by one's own 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

verbraise oneself up by one's own bootstraps (third-person singular simple present raises oneself up by one's own bootstraps, present participle raising oneself up by one's own bootstraps, simple past and past participle raised oneself up by one's own bootstraps)

present singular third person raises oneself up by one's own bootstraps · participle present raising oneself up by one's own bootstraps · participle past raised oneself up by one's own bootstraps · past raised oneself up by one's own bootstraps

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

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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