cleats
cleats — noun
1. sports shoes that have small hard points or short bars under the sole, helping t
sports shoes that have small hard points or short bars under the sole, helping the player push off the ground without slipping during football, baseball, rugby, or soccer.
Rafael laced up his new soccer cleats before the Saturday morning match.
typical collocation: soccer / football / baseball cleats
The coach told Hugo to leave his muddy cleats outside the locker room.
concrete context: post-game muddy footwear
Nadia twisted her ankle when one of her cleats caught in the wet grass.
Most baseball players keep two pairs of cleats: one for grass and one for dirt.
Lucas had to buy bigger cleats after his feet grew over the summer.
文法句型
wear cleats
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural form 'cleats' when referring to the shoes themselves; the singular 'cleat' more often names one individual spike (see sense 2). In British English, the same sports shoes are usually called 'studs' or 'boots'.
常見錯誤
2. one of the short hard pieces that stick out from the bottom of a sports shoe, de
one of the short hard pieces that stick out from the bottom of a sports shoe, designed to dig into grass or dirt so the wearer keeps their footing.
Yael cleaned the dirt from each cleat with a small wooden stick after practice.
singular 'cleat' = one individual stud
Modern football shoes often have removable cleats that you can change for different fields.
pattern: removable cleats
Three of the cleats on Marco's right shoe had broken off during the second half.
The new running shoes have rubber cleats instead of metal ones for safer training.
文法句型
the cleats on a shoe
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: a single 'cleat' is one stud; 'cleats' as the whole shoe is sense 1. Many shoes have six to nine cleats on each sole.
3. a short piece of wood or metal with two horn-shaped ends, fixed to a boat or doc
a short piece of wood or metal with two horn-shaped ends, fixed to a boat or dock, around which a sailor wraps a rope to hold the boat still.
Élise wrapped the docking line twice around the cleat on the front of her sailboat.
typical action: wrap a line around a cleat
Each wooden pier in the harbour had four metal cleats spaced along its edge.
concrete scene: pier hardware
Darius taught the new crew how to tie a rope properly to a deck cleat.
Strong winds tore the rope loose from the rusted cleat during last night's storm.
- bollard
much larger fitting on a dock; for ships rather than small boats
文法句型
tie a rope to a cleat
用法筆記
Mainly nautical; learners may also hear it from rowers and dock workers. The shape — two horns sticking up from a base — is what distinguishes it from senses 1, 2, and 4.
4. a small piece of wood or metal, often wedge-shaped, that is fixed to a surface t
a small piece of wood or metal, often wedge-shaped, that is fixed to a surface to hold something in place or stop it from sliding.
Ishaan screwed a small wooden cleat under the shelf to keep the books from sliding.
typical scene: workshop / DIY support
Carpenters use a long cleat across the back of a heavy mirror before hanging it.
pattern: long cleat across the back
A metal cleat on the truck floor stopped the toolbox from sliding when Nala braked hard.
The bookshelf rests on two short cleats screwed into the studs of the wall.
文法句型
a cleat fixed to a wall / shelf
用法筆記
Common in woodworking and carpentry; often called a 'French cleat' when two angled pieces lock together to hang heavy items on a wall.
cleats — verb
1. to fasten a rope or line by winding it around a fixed boat or dock fitting so th
to fasten a rope or line by winding it around a fixed boat or dock fitting so the rope cannot pull loose.
Christopher cleated the bow line as soon as the sailboat touched the dock.
typical object: bow line / stern line
Before the storm arrived, Yan cleated every rope on the small fishing boat tightly.
The instructor showed the students how to cleat the halyard with a figure-eight wrap.
Marco quickly cleated the line and jumped down to help the children off the boat.
文法句型
cleat + a rope / line
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used by sailors and boat crews; a general English learner is far more likely to meet the noun (sense 3 of the noun entry) than the verb. The object is the rope, not the cleat.
常見錯誤
2. to fit small bars, studs, or wedge-shaped pieces onto something so that it grips
to fit small bars, studs, or wedge-shaped pieces onto something so that it grips better or holds another object in place.
The factory cleated the bottom of every pair of boots before shipping them to the rugby club.
typical object: shoe / boot soles
Hugo cleated the wooden ramp so the wheelchair would not slip in winter.
Workers cleated the long planks of the deck for extra grip when the wood got wet.
Nadia cleated the back of the cabinet so it would stay tight against the wall.
- fit with studs
everyday phrase for cleating shoes
- stud
as a verb, for shoes specifically
文法句型
cleat + a surface / shoe
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: in sense 2 the object is the surface that RECEIVES the cleats (a shoe, a ramp, a cabinet); in sense 1 the object is a rope that USES a cleat. Both senses are technical and uncommon outside trades.