idiom · academic
pull oneself up by one's bootstraps
UK/pʊl wʌnˈself ʌp baɪ wʌnz ˈbuːtˌstræps/US/pʊl wʌnˈsɛlf ʌp baɪ wʌnz ˈbuːtˌstræps/pull·one·self·up·by·one's·BOOT·straps
to improve one's situation by one's own efforts without outside help
Examples
“”
“”
“”
Band 8 sentence
“Many policy papers argue that while individual initiative matters, structural support is still necessary for those attempting to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.”
Collocations
- pull oneself up by one's bootstraps through education
- the idea of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps
Word family
Common mistakes
pull yourself up by your bootstrap→pull yourself up by your bootstraps
pull himself up from bootstraps→pull himself up by his bootstraps
Say it for a higher band
5stand on one's own two feet→6be self-reliant→7+pull oneself up by one's bootstraps
Synonyms
stand on one's own two feet
Easily confused
stand on one's own two feet
“After moving out, she had to learn to stand on her own two feet.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Success
Learn it with its set