BULLIES Synonyms: 180 Similar and Opposite Words

bullies 1 of 2

noun

plural of bully

as in enemies

a person who teases, threatens, or hurts smaller, weaker, or more vulnerable persons the school has a procedure for students who want to report problems with bullies

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as in thugs

a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang the local loan shark and his bullies have ways of making people pay up

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bullies

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bully

as in abuses

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon the kindergarten teacher explained why it was wrong to bully classmates

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as in intimidates

to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats the manager was fired for bullying employees

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bullies

Noun

The math did not math for a 68-team field for 300-plus basketball teams, and so in the midst of their relatively hostile takeover, the bullies also tossed the leaded balloon about tournament expansion. —

Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 8 May 2026 Skip bullies like Canadian goldenrod that have rampant roots and seeds that self-sow everywhere. —

Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 3 May 2026 In other words, nobody brags, bullies or buys their way into the Derby. —

Peter Keating, New York Times, 1 May 2026 Berfield — who played Reese, Dewey's older brother — watches the tween get picked on by a group of bullies before turning and smacking them with his bag. —

Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026 Blackwell, a pharmaceutical sales representative in Los Angeles, said the Nicholsons favored certain players, including two whom Blackwell described as bullies. —

Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026 When Karaban ripped the ball out of Wagler’s hands with a little more than four minutes left in the first half and led a fast break that resulted in Mullins’ three-point play, the Huskies were the bullies Wagler had been warned about. —

Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026 On the other hand, the other bullies in the West aren’t exactly standing pat. —

Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026 The irony is that a minority once viewed as filled with sissies and losers is now portrayed as filled with bullies and power brokers, and straight people, especially men, seem to perceive themselves as the weak and afraid ones. —

Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026

Verb

The Pledge is meaningless if the president of the United States lies to us, divides us, bullies us and steals from us. —

Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026 Collective action deters bullies Harvard never stood alone. —

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026 There’s always a mean kid in your class who bullies everybody else. —

Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026 The Bullies Versus The Bullied Studies show that men make up around 65% to 70% of workplace bullies overall, which researchers argue is in alignment with broader power disparities, as men continue to hold a majority of senior leadership roles. —

Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 Henry Bowers is the local punk who relentlessly bullies the Losers' Club and later falls under the spell of Pennywise. —

Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025 Cipher bullies other characters across the season about their powers, but because of Andre and Polarity’s degenerative abilities, this underscores the eugenics behind his beliefs. —

Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bullies

Noun

The nation’s capital is crawling with right-wing enemies of Social Security who would like nothing more.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2026
There's also an optional co-op mode, which allows two players to split the controls of the Arwing starfighter and other vehicles; one person pilots them while the other shoots at enemies.

— Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 8 May 2026