Synonyms of bull

bull 1 of 5

noun (1)

as in decree

an order publicly issued by an authority

the head office issued a bull banning the use of alcohol at all on-site social functions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decree
• edict
• ruling
• directive
• decision
• proclamation
• fiat
• resolution
• declaration
• announcement
• opinion
• diktat
• determination
• diagnosis
• verdict
• ukase
• judgment
• pronouncement
• rescript
• deliverance
• conclusion
• dictum
• manifesto
• call
• canon
• encyclical

bull

2 of 5

noun (2)

ˈbu̇l 

slang

as in policeman

a member of a force charged with law enforcement at the local level

the town's drug dealers and bulls were well acquainted with one another

Synonyms & Similar Words

• policeman
• cop
• officer
• constable
• sheriff
• copper
• gendarme
• bobby
• police officer
• lawman
• fuzz
• police
• dick
• flatfoot
• inspector
• investigator
• shamus
• detective
• trooper
• constabulary
• man
• patrolman
• marshal
• sergeant
• lieutenant
• policewoman
• police force
• sleuth
• peace officer
• operative
• sleuthhound
• sherlock
• hawkshaw
• captain
• private eye
• private detective
• plainclothesman
• gumshoe
• heat
• private investigator

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• civilian

bull

3 of 5

noun (3)

slang

1

as in rhetoric

boastful speech or writing

an interview filled with the usual bull about how seriously she takes the art of acting

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rhetoric
• hot air
• rodomontade
• chatter
• bombast
• gas
• magniloquence
• brag
• rant
• gasconade
• braggadocio
• grandiloquence
• bluster
• fanfaronade
• wind
• cockalorum
• oratory
• pomposity
• rhapsody
• babble
• prattle
• jawing
• gabble
• turgidity
• verbosity
• drivel
• gibberish
• prating
• jabber
• bloviation
• windiness
• swagger
• egotism
• patter
• gibber
• yammering
• blab
• vaunt
• self-importance
• self-conceit

2

as in nonsense

language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense

a guy who's always trying to sell some sucker a line of bull

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nonsense
• nuts
• garbage
• stupidity
• drool
• rubbish
• blah
• silliness
• muck
• baloney
• jazz
• bunk
• crock
• beans
• absurdity
• craziness
• foolishness
• trash
• balderdash
• hogwash
• insanity
• hooey
• claptrap
• punk
• fudge
• rot
• twaddle
• madness
• malarkey
• guff
• poppycock
• blatherskite
• fiddle
• bosh
• absurdness
• trumpery
• flapdoodle
• bunkum
• bilge
• folderol
• hokum
• humbuggery
• tosh
• blither
• codswallop
• tommyrot
• blather
• piffle
• drivel
• blarney
• fiddlesticks
• folly
• nerts
• horsefeathers
• crapola
• hokeypokey
• taradiddle
• moonshine
• fiddle-faddle
• hoodoo
• humbug
• applesauce
• flannel
• senselessness
• idiocy
• slush
• gas
• foolery
• greek
• tomfoolery
• imbecility
• lunacy
• inanity
• monkey business
• kookiness
• inaneness
• asininity
• fatuity
• hot air
• witlessness
• rigmarole
• hocus-pocus
• monkeyshine(s)
• shenanigan(s)
• double-talk
• hoity-toity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rationality
• reasonableness
• sense
• common sense
• horse sense
• judgment
• sensibleness
• reasonability
• wisdom
• levelheadedness
• discernment

bull

4 of 5

verb (1)

as in to push

to force one's way

the beleaguered governor bulled through the crowd of reporters without answering a single question

Synonyms & Similar Words

• push
• squeeze
• muscle
• bore
• elbow
• shove
• shoulder
• jam
• press
• crash
• thrust
• jostle
• ram
• bulldoze

bull

5 of 5

verb (2)

slang

as in to brag

to praise or express pride in one's own possessions, qualities, or accomplishments often to excess

no one bought all his bulling about how he had beaten the stock market

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brag
• boast
• blow
• crow
• display
• vapor
• swagger
• pride
• exhibit
• blow smoke
• vaunt
• gasconade
• parade
• bluster
• harangue
• glory
• gush
• puff
• expose
• show off
• maximize
• flaunt
• exult
• rejoice
• brandish
• glorify
• magnify

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• minimize
• discount
• play down
• shrug off
• diminish
• belittle
• laugh off
• underrate
• deprecate
• undervalue
• regret
• lament
• pooh-pooh
• mourn
• bemoan

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bull

Noun

Minoan frescoes and artifacts depict bull-leaping women, the snake goddess (associated with power, fertility, and the cycle of life), and the midwife goddess Eileithyia. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2026

In the first quarter, on a three-man rush, left tackle Rasheed Walker was bull-rushed by Yaya Diaby for the first snap of the contest. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026

Verb

By the time Fernando Mendoza ran across the line on fourth down, then bulled over a couple of Hurricanes defenders and stretched the ball over the goal line, the national championship game had more than its defining play. — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2026

Where the North Florida team couldn’t stop him from bulling for two 1-yard touchdowns and several other other successful sneaks, Bills defenders stopped quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s fourth-and-2 rush at their 8. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026

Phrases Containing bull

• pit bull