Why this word appears in Connections
In Connections #1232 on October 25, 2026, BOOST joins PALM, POCKET and SWIPE in STEAL. Use its theft slang sense. Raising sales or encouraging a friend would use a different meaning of boost and would not explain all four tiles.
Puzzles featuring this word
Three ways to read boost
Compare these invented examples: 'The campaign boosted sales' uses the increase sense; 'A friend's message gave me a boost' uses the helpful-encouragement sense; 'The thief boosted a jacket' uses the stealing sense. The surrounding sentence selects the meaning.
For the dated puzzle, PALM also needs a less obvious verb reading: taking something stealthily. POCKET can mean taking something for your own use improperly, and SWIPE can mean stealing. The four-word test helps distinguish the relevant sense from a familiar alternative.
How do you pronounce it?
Say BOOST, /buːst/, in one syllable. It rhymes with roost.
Where the word comes from
Merriam-Webster labels the verb's origin obscure and records a first known use in 1801 for an upward-pushing sense. That date does not establish when the stealing sense began. An uncertain origin should remain uncertain.
Frequently asked questions
Can boost mean steal?
Yes. Merriam-Webster lists stealing and shoplifting as slang verb meanings of boost.
What does BOOST mean in the October 25 Connections puzzle?
It means steal. BOOST belongs with PALM, POCKET and SWIPE in the yellow STEAL group.
Does boost always suggest theft?
No. Increasing sales, lifting something upward and giving someone encouragement are other uses. Context determines which meaning fits.
How is boost pronounced?
Boost is one syllable, /buːst/, rhyming with roost.