bully pulpit

noun

Updated on: 9 May 2018

Definition of bully pulpit

: a prominent public position (such as a political office) that provides an opportunity for expounding one's views; also : such an opportunity

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bully pulpit was our Word of the Day on 11/08/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of bully pulpit in a Sentence

She uses her position as a famous actress as a bully pulpit.

Recent Examples of bully pulpit from the Web

And the region’s most prominent critical voice will soon lose his bully pulpit.

— anton troianovski, Washington Post, "Sanctions, Syria hit home in Russia, but people aren’t turning against Putin," 27 Apr. 2018
Gottlieb also is beloved for using his bully pulpit to highlight some uncomfortable facts about pharmacy benefit managers and their penchant for keeping a fair portion of the discounts and rebates that are offered up by the manufacturers.

— david beier, STAT, "On drug pricing, Trump could rely on bluster and bad ideas. But there’s a better alternative," 20 Apr. 2018
Now, other mayors with Sarno’s convictions might be content to just use their bully pulpit to make their feelings known, but not Sarno.

— yvonne abraham, BostonGlobe.com, "Springfield mayor tries ruling by whim," 7 Apr. 2018
Trump uses his bully pulpit to bully those standing in his way And that’s maybe the best way to view Trump’s OTHER tweets over the last few days – aimed at Amazon (and the Washington Post) and other news organizations.

— chuck todd, NBC News, "Trump returns to the immigration playbook," 3 Apr. 2018
Maybe President Trump could use his bully pulpit to press Congress for postal reforms.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "Trump, Amazon and the Post Office," 2 Apr. 2018
The ministry spokesperson maintains a robust and combative presence on Facebook, often using the social-media platform as a bully pulpit for the Russian government.

— nathan hodge, CNN, "Russia has a curious love-hate relationship with Facebook," 5 Apr. 2018
Beyond Trump's use of his bully pulpit to attack Amazon, the White House has indicated that there are no plans to take action against the company.

— philip rucker, chicagotribune.com, "Trump accuses Amazon of 'Post Office scam,' falsely says Washington Post is company's lobbyist," 31 Mar. 2018
Beyond Trump’s use of his bully pulpit to single out Amazon, the White House has indicated there are no plans to take action against the behemoth.

— philip rucker, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump escalates attack on Amazon, accuses company of ‘Post Office scam’," 31 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bully pulpit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Bully vs bully pulpit

Bully pulpit comes from the 26th U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt, who observed that the White House was a bully pulpit. For Roosevelt, bully was an adjective meaning "excellent" or "first-rate"—not the noun bully ("a blustering, browbeating person") that's so common today. Roosevelt understood the modern presidency's power of persuasion and recognized that it gave the incumbent the opportunity to exhort, instruct, or inspire. He took full advantage of his bully pulpit, speaking out about the danger of monopolies, the nation's growing role as a world power, and other issues important to him. Since the 1970s, bully pulpit has been used as a term for an office—especially a political office—that provides one with the opportunity to share one's views.

First Known Use of bully pulpit

1963

in the meaning defined above

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BULLY PULPIT Defined for English Language Learners

bully pulpit

noun

Definition of bully pulpit for English Language Learners

: an important public position that allows a person to express beliefs and opinions to many people

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bully pulpit

Definition of bully pulpit

bully pulpit was our Word of the Day on 11/08/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of bully pulpit in a Sentence

Recent Examples of bully pulpit from the Web

Bully vs bully pulpit

First Known Use of bully pulpit

BULLY PULPIT Defined for English Language Learners

bully pulpit

Definition of bully pulpit for English Language Learners

Learn More about bully pulpit

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bully pulpit

Definition of bully pulpit

bully pulpit was our Word of the Day on 11/08/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of bully pulpit in a Sentence

Recent Examples of bully pulpit from the Web

Bully vs bully pulpit

First Known Use of bully pulpit

BULLY PULPIT Defined for English Language Learners

bully pulpit

Definition of bully pulpit for English Language Learners

Learn More about bully pulpit

Seen and Heard

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