bolt upright
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In fact, trying to hold yourself bolt upright all day could do more harm than good, he told Morning Live.
From BBC • Aug. 25, 2025
I sat bolt upright, moving my lips with nothing coming out.
From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2022
Typically bolt upright in her chair and staring straight ahead, Holmes has remained impassive as even one-time supporters testified to their misgivings about her actions while leading Theranos.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 19, 2021
The PlayStation 2 played with similar emotions at the turn of the millennium, sitting bolt upright like the Monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
From The Verge • Dec. 5, 2019
However, no sooner was he stretched out than he sat bolt upright, his head and shoulders suddenly propelled into view, with somewhat the macabre-comic effect of a corpse falling out of a closet.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
