bully 1 of 3

bully

2 of 3

noun

bully

3 of 3

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bully different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of bully are browbeat, bulldoze, cow, and intimidate. While all these words mean "to frighten into submission," bully implies intimidation through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior.

bullied into giving up their lunch money

When could browbeat be used to replace bully?

While the synonyms browbeat and bully are close in meaning, browbeat implies a cowing through arrogant, scornful, or contemptuous treatment.

browbeat the witness into a contradiction

In what contexts can bulldoze take the place of bully?

In some situations, the words bulldoze and bully are roughly equivalent. However, bulldoze implies an intimidating or an overcoming of resistance usually by urgings, demands, or threats.

bulldozed the city council into approving the plan

When might cow be a better fit than bully?

The synonyms cow and bully are sometimes interchangeable, but cow implies reduction to a state where the spirit is broken or all courage is lost.

not at all cowed by the odds against making it in show business

When is it sensible to use intimidate instead of bully?

The words intimidate and bully can be used in similar contexts, but intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another.

intimidated by so many other bright freshmen

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 bully
Noun
The film sees Steamboat Willie’s first mate, Minnie, go on a killing spree when seeking revenge against the childhood bullies who tortured her as a teenager. Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 30 June 2025 English and Spanish are both bullies; Spanish has merely been somewhat less successful in its domination. Carey Baraka, The Dial, 26 June 2025
Verb
But, they did get bullied into signing Devers by the memory of deals gone wrong, players gone too soon, and fans’ trust essentially just gone. Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025 The Detroit Pistons did it year after year, deploying a defensive scheme that involved trapping him over and over, shoving him through screens, bullying him through picks, sending two or three bodies on him, and knocking him off balance, off his shot, off his cool. Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 22 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for bully
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bully
Adjective
  • This is a great NBA Summer League matchup; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
  • This is a great day to schmooze with friends and members of groups and organizations.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • According to reporting from the Clermont Sun, Fike tweeted ‘#thug the new n word’ in April 2015 and ‘Thug life = thug treatment = no pity from me’ in July 2019.
    James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 July 2025
  • These scenes evoke images of government thugs in violent regimes disappearing opponents.
    Christy Lopez Guest, Mercury News, 5 July 2025
Verb
  • But even more terrifying than the guard dogs were those abused by local miscreants that trained dogs to fight.
    Thomas Cangelosi, Hartford Courant, 27 June 2025
  • The court gave a win to the Trump administration as officials have repeatedly complained about federal judges blocking the president’s policies and claimed judges are abusing their power and are biased against him politically.
    Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • But moving from being a casual fan into understanding the intricacies of tennis can be intimidating.
    Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 10 July 2025
  • Although new gardeners often find coming up with a design intimidating, there are existing templates to work from.
    Special to The Denver Post, Denver Post, 8 July 2025
Adjective
  • Smartphone Deals An ultra-bright screen, terrific build quality, and powerful AI tools made the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL a winner in our book, and our expert gave it an excellent rating in our review.
    Jade Chung-Lee, PC Magazine, 12 July 2025
  • The Packers failed to build on their terrific finish to the 2023 campaign, settled for the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs, and lost a Wild Card game to eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.
    Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • Trump appointed Bondi as attorney general after numerous reports suggested the president wanted a loyalist who would do his bidding and seek retribution against his enemies, after Trump faced pushback in his first term from previous attorneys general like William Barr.
    Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
  • Still, fun enemy designs – such as one pictured above based on the Hydnellum peckii (bleeding tooth fungus) – already started to come together.
    Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • Serial killers with a code, far-future space operas, superheroes doing battle with dastardly villains.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
  • But just to use an example, Force Awakens sets up Snoke as the big villain of the new trilogy, with a mysterious backstory.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • Cameras are expected to return to Broward County’s special-needs classrooms to help parents determine whether their child may have been abused or mistreated at school.
    Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2025
  • The Russian leader would be the cleaning lady who was overlooked and mistreated by the scientists in the good old days but who, uh, showed those silly male scientists who the real boss was when the zombies showed up.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bully. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on bully

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!