bull

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noun (1)

ˈbu̇l How to pronounce bull (audio)
ˈbəl
1
a
: a male bovine
especially : an adult uncastrated male domestic bovine
b
: a usually adult male of various large animals (such as elephants, whales, or seals)
2
: one who buys securities or commodities in expectation of a price rise or who acts to effect such a rise compare bear
3
: one that resembles a bull (as in brawny physique)
4
5
6
capitalized : taurus

bull

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adjective

1
a
: of or relating to a bull
b
: male
a bull calf
c
: suggestive of a bull
2
: large of its kind
a bull lathe

bull

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verb (1)

bulled; bulling; bulls

intransitive verb

: to advance forcefully

transitive verb

1
: to act on with violence
2
: force
bulled his way through the crowd

bull

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noun (2)

1
: a solemn papal letter sealed with a bulla or with a red-ink imprint of the device on the bulla
2

bull

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verb (2)

bulled; bulling; bulls

transitive verb

slang : to fool especially by fast boastful talk

intransitive verb

slang : to engage in idle and boastful talk

bull

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noun (3)

1
: a grotesque blunder in language
2
slang : empty boastful talk
3

bull

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abbreviation

Examples of bull in a Sentence

Noun (1) the town's drug dealers and bulls were well acquainted with one another Verb (1) the beleaguered governor bulled through the crowd of reporters without answering a single question Noun (2) the head office issued a bull banning the use of alcohol at all on-site social functions Verb (2) no one bought all his bulling about how he had beaten the stock market Noun (3) an interview filled with the usual bull about how seriously she takes the art of acting a guy who's always trying to sell some sucker a line of bull
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Eight bulls escaped from a rodeo event at a mall in Massachusetts and were on the loose until most of them were caught almost four hours later. Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 23 Sep. 2024 One of the bulls was caught shortly after breaking free. Marina Watts, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2024 Eight bulls escaped from a rodeo after plowing through a chain-link fence in Massachusetts on Sunday. Felicia Alvarez, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2024 But monetary policy is at least now moving back into the bulls’ favor. Zev Fima, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bull 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bull.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English bule, from Old English bula; akin to Old Norse boli bull

Noun (2)

Middle English bulle, from Medieval Latin bulla, from Latin, bubble, amulet

Noun (3)

perhaps from obsolete bull to mock

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

1884, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1609, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (3)

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bull was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bull

Cite this Entry

“Bull.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bull. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

bull

noun
ˈbu̇l
1
a
: an adult male bovine animal
b
: an adult male of some other large animals (as an elephant, a moose, or a whale)
2
: a person who buys stocks or bonds in the expectation that the price will go up compare bear sense 3
3
slang : police officer
bull adjective
bullish
-ish
adjective

Biographical Definition

Bull

biographical name

Ole ˈō-lə How to pronounce Bull (audio) Bornemann 1810–1880 Norwegian violinist

More from Merriam-Webster on bull

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