bullying

1 of 2

noun

bul·​ly·​ing ˈbu̇-lē-iŋ How to pronounce bullying (audio)
ˈbə-
: abuse and mistreatment of someone vulnerable by someone stronger, more powerful, etc. : the actions and behavior of a bully
Her own childhood had been made miserable by bullyingMichael Holroyd
… underestimates the plain meanness behind the pleasure people take in bullying.George F. Will

bullying

2 of 2

adjective

: prone to or characterized by overbearing mistreatment and domination of others
… dominated the program but did so in a bullying manner that made him appear crabbier and more churlish than ever.Tom Shales
At his worst, he was just another loud, boorish, bullying … drunk …Bartholomew Gill
The bullying husband is … living out a way of being that he learned at home as a child.Robert Karen

Examples of bullying in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Following the tragedy, Owasso High School staged a walkout, with 40 students leaving class to protest his death — and the bullying policies students believe caused Benedict’s death, NBC News reported. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 Using the first part of the webtoon, the series follows Dong-hyun, a high school junior, who barely survives his day-to-day bullying at school. Patrick Frater, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024 As more schools invest in these state-of-the-art and expensive surveillance systems, critics warn that these are not foolproof and schools should instead invest resources in fighting other student safety concerns like bullying, verbal aggression, teen suicide and fighting. Caroline Beck, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Mar. 2024 After all the point of de-coupling, or de-risking, as the Europeans prefer to say, is to reduce vulnerabilities to Beijing’s bullying, and the movement to third counties has that effect in its own way. Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 Officer Caleb Thompson asked whether Nex had alerted school staff about any bullying. Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2024 Upon concluding our investigation, it was determined that the legal elements of bullying were not met. Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 Listen actively to understand the dynamics at play and to determine the root cause of the bullying behavior. Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024 The denunciations of Cline have mostly framed her post as bullying. Karin Brulliard, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham has reached out about providing funding for mental health and anti-bullying programs, and the board has also received offers from external agencies to help with their threat assessment protocol, DeShazo said. al, 4 Oct. 2022 Her anti-bullying campaign, Be Best, was a blur. Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 19 July 2022 Before her time on the board, Collins, who has a master’s in education, worked several short stints in SFUSD and at nonprofit organizations, focusing on anti-bullying programs, curriculum design, peer tutoring and parent engagement, according to her LinkedIn profile. Heather Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 May 2021 That's why experts say more anti-bullying intervention is needed – from both parents and schools. Jenna Ryu, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2023 The student then met with the school’s principal and vice principal – an anti-bullying specialist, according to the state school directory – and reported the threats of violence made against her before she was assaulted, according to the lawsuit. Celina Tebor, CNN, 13 Feb. 2023 The confidence, the grace and the moral backbone with which Alidoosti has today stood up to a bullying and violent state that has completely lost any semblance of legitimacy did not fall from the sky. Hamid Dabashi, CNN, 29 Dec. 2022 Donovan is also working close with Great American Family on Upstanders, his anti-bullying program which will have another assembly in January with RomaDrama. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 23 Nov. 2022 However, the two sides have agreed tentatively to new anti-bullying protections, expanded paid parental leave and some new commuting support. Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bullying.' 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

Noun

1742, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1746, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bullying was in 1742

Dictionary Entries Near bullying

Cite this Entry

“Bullying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bullying. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

bullying

noun
bul·​ly·​ing
ˈbu̇-lē-iŋ, bə-
: acts or written or spoken words intended to intimidate or harass a person or to cause physical harm to a person or his or her property see also cyberbullying

Note: The statutory language used to describe what constitutes bullying differs from state to state.

More from Merriam-Webster on bullying

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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