a strap that is looped and sewn to the top of a boot for pulling it on
"She used the leather bootstrap on her heavy winter boots to pull them up easily."
A loop (leather or other material) sewn at the side or top rear of a boot to help in pulling the boot on.
"The new boots came equipped with sturdy leather bootstraps that made it easy to pull them on without bending over."
In plain English: A bootstrap is something you rely on to get started when you have nothing else going for you.
"The government promised to help small businesses get back on their feet without any external loans."
Usage: The verb form "bootstrap" is often misused as an adjective, such as in "a bootstrap project," when it should be used with a preposition like "by bootstrapping." Additionally, while the noun refers to a physical loop on footwear, the figurative sense of self-reliance has become far more common than the literal meaning.
help oneself, often through improvised means
"After losing his job, he decided to bootstrap himself by starting a freelance consulting business from his kitchen table."
To help (oneself) without the aid of others.
"The entrepreneur managed to bootstrap her startup by reinvesting every dollar of profit back into the business until it became profitable enough to attract investors."
In plain English: To bootstrap means to improve your situation by working hard and using only what you already have available.
"He decided to bootstrap his own business from nothing."
The word combines boot and strap, entering English through the idiom "to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps." This phrase originally described an impossible task of lifting oneself without external help, which later evolved to mean achieving success independently or with no assistance at all.