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.

However, there is one person who will bolt upright with alarm whenever I sneeze and exclaim, “Well, excuse you!” or, “Why didn’t you give us some warning?!” making everyone stare at me further.

From Washington Post • Jun. 10, 2022

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

In court, she sat bolt upright, poised, attentive, as she listened to the case against her.

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2021

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