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

And Tuesday’s 10-5 Padres victory went 11 innings, prompting manager Mike Shildt to use seven of the nine arms in his bullpen. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025

With an embarrassment of riches on the bench and in the bullpen, there has yet to be a noticeable shift in his managerial urgency. —Tyler Small, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025

With the lefty-swinging Rowdy Tellez up next, Boone kept Williams in the game despite having David Bednar warming in the bullpen. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2025

The Bombers had no answer for the Marlins‘ ace and certainly didn’t have one for their bullpen. —James Oconnell, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2025

From there, the bullpen held strong as the Royals found their way to a comeback victory and series win in extra innings. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 3 Aug. 2025

Justin Wilson relieved Buehler and set the tone for the bullpen. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025

Caleb and Brase and our whole bullpen have been nails. —Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025

Up till 48 hours before the trade deadline, the San Francisco Giants could make a statistical claim that their bullpen was the best in the league. —Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2025

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