variants
or bullseye
plural bull's-eyes or bullseyes
1
: a very hard globular candy
2
: a circular piece of glass especially with a lump in the middle
3
a
: the center of a target
also
: something central or crucial
b
: a shot that hits the bull's-eye
broadly
: something that precisely attains a desired end
4
: a simple lens of short focal distance
also
: a lantern with such a lens
Synonyms
Examples of bull's-eye in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rainbow bull's-eyes float in our cups like latte ferns.
—
Meredi Ortega, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
Dobbins put a bull's-eye on himself with his complaints about not getting the ball at the goal line in the Ravens’ playoff loss to the Bengals and with his absence at the start of camp.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2023
Never before has one of the world’s largest nuclear facilities fallen into the bull's-eye of a large-scale war.
—Jeffrey Gettleman Finbarr O’Reilly, New York Times, 3 July 2023
Bold-pattern toys, like books, balls, rattles with black-and-white stripes, bull's-eyes, or checkerboard, can also grab your baby's attention and help boost their developing vision.
—Parents Editors, Parents, 22 June 2023
Local and state governments in the new bull's-eye region might want to improve community shelters and warning systems, strengthen building codes, better equip emergency responders, and educate residents about what to do—and not to do—if a tornado is headed their way.
—Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 11 May 2023
Areas in the bull's-eye will be Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; and Washington, D.C.
—Max Golembo, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2023
Parts of southern Georgia and South Carolina will be in the bull's-eye, including the cities of Columbus, Savannah and Charleston.
—Max Golembo, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2023
On Wednesday, severe weather will impact an area from Texas to Tennessee, with Memphis and Little Rock, Arkansas, in the bull's-eye.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 28 Feb. 2023
See More
Meredi Ortega, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
Dobbins put a bull's-eye on himself with his complaints about not getting the ball at the goal line in the Ravens’ playoff loss to the Bengals and with his absence at the start of camp.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2023
Never before has one of the world’s largest nuclear facilities fallen into the bull's-eye of a large-scale war.
—Jeffrey Gettleman Finbarr O’Reilly, New York Times, 3 July 2023
Bold-pattern toys, like books, balls, rattles with black-and-white stripes, bull's-eyes, or checkerboard, can also grab your baby's attention and help boost their developing vision.
—Parents Editors, Parents, 22 June 2023
Local and state governments in the new bull's-eye region might want to improve community shelters and warning systems, strengthen building codes, better equip emergency responders, and educate residents about what to do—and not to do—if a tornado is headed their way.
—Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 11 May 2023
Areas in the bull's-eye will be Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; and Washington, D.C.
—Max Golembo, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2023
Parts of southern Georgia and South Carolina will be in the bull's-eye, including the cities of Columbus, Savannah and Charleston.
—Max Golembo, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2023
On Wednesday, severe weather will impact an area from Texas to Tennessee, with Memphis and Little Rock, Arkansas, in the bull's-eye.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 28 Feb. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bull's-eye.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near bull's-eye
Cite this Entry
“Bull's-eye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bull%27s-eye. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
bull's-eye
nounˈbu̇l-ˌzī
1
: a round hard candy
2
a
: the center of a target
b
: a shot that hits the center of a target
More from Merriam-Webster on bull's-eye
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share