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

After missing large portions of the previous three seasons due to injuries, the affable right-hander shone in his full-time return to the bullpen. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025

The Twins’ bullpen was broken apart, and the Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers were the beneficiaries. —Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 22 Dec. 2025

Immediately after the tasting, the leftover cake was put on display in the bullpen of THR’s Los Angeles office. —Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 2025

Now that Bell is on board, the next target for Falvey and general manager Jeremy Zoll will be rebuilding the bullpen for new manager Derek Shelton after it was torn down during the trading spree last summer. —CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025

The club has addressed their outfield needs — with the additions of Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas — while also solidifying their bullpen this offseason. —Kansas City Star, 19 Dec. 2025

The Rockies, given the volatility of relievers, might be more inclined to trade from their bullpen. —Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025

The Dodgers add Diaz to a bullpen that features Tanner Scott at the backend of games. —Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 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