bullpen

noun

bull·​pen ˈbu̇l-ˌpen 

also ˈbəl-

variants or less commonly bull pen

plural bullpens also bull pens

1

: a large cell where prisoners are detained until brought into court

Commonly called the "bullpen," the court lockup is behind the courtroom and is used as a holding area for prisoners …

—Bruce A. Scruton

2

a

: a place on a baseball field where pitchers warm up before they start pitching

In the bullpen, Goose Gossage is warming up.

—Tony Scherman

b

: the relief pitchers of a baseball team

After five innings Seattle led 14-2 and, with baseball's best bullpen waiting to protect the lead should starter Aaron Sele falter …

—Sports Illustrated

3

: an open work area not divided into offices

… an alternative to the traditional combination of private offices for the brass and bullpens for the workers.

—Carl Ruff

Examples of bullpen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The situation didn’t necessarily demand that Braves manager Walt Weiss go with Dylan Lee out of the bullpen, but that hasn’t stopped Weiss before from making decisions that were ultimately proven right. — Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 1 Oct. 2026

But the offense’s performance against elite pitching, and the bullpen’s execution in tight games, could make or break a series. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

Sanchez might need to throw a complete game because the Philadelphia bullpen was taxed yesterday. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Prepare, throw, throw a good bullpen, execute some things, get some good sleep, go over the scouting report. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bullpen

• again
• airmen
• amen
• culmen
• flagmen
• gunmen
• lawmen
• oilmen
• playpen
• schoolmen
• tegmen
• ben

Kids Definition

bull pen

noun

1

: a large cell where prisoners are held until brought into court

2

a

: a place on a baseball field where relief pitchers warm up

b

: the relief pitchers of a team