bull

1
[ bool ]
See synonyms for bull on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the male of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos, with sexual organs intact and capable of reproduction.

  2. the male of certain other mammals, as elephants and moose.

  1. a large, solidly built person.

  2. a person who believes that market prices, especially of stocks, will increase (opposed to bear).

  3. Bull, Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Taurus.

  4. Slang. a police officer.

adjective
  1. male.

  2. of, relating to, or resembling a bull, as in strength.

  1. having to do with or marked by a continuous trend of rising prices, as of stocks: a bull market.

verb (used with object)
  1. Stock Exchange. to attempt to raise the price of.

  2. to speculate in, in expectation of a rise in price.

  1. to force; shove: to bull one's way through a crowd.

  2. Nautical. to ram (a buoy).

Idioms about bull

  1. bull in a china shop,

    • an awkward or clumsy person.

    • an inconsiderate or tactless person.

    • a troublemaker; dangerous person.

  2. take the bull by the horns, to attack a difficult or risky problem fearlessly.

Origin of bull

1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English bule, Old English bula; akin to Old Norse boli; Greek phallós “penis,” from a root meaning “to swell”; see bullock

Other words from bull

  • bull-like, adjective

Words Nearby bull

Other definitions for bull (2 of 5)

bull2
[ bool ]

nounSlang.
  1. exaggeration, lies, or nonsense.

Origin of bull

2
First recorded in 1620–30; from Medieval Latin bulla “play, game, jest,” perhaps special use of Latin bulla “bubble”; now generally taken as a euphemistic shortening of bullshit

Other definitions for bull (3 of 5)

bull3
[ bool ]

noun
  1. a bulla or seal.

  2. Roman Catholic Church. a formal papal document having a bulla attached.

Origin of bull

3
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bull(e) “a (lead) seal affixed to a papal edict, papal edict; official sealed document,” from Medieval Latin bulla “seal, sealed document,” from Latin ; see origin at bulla

Other definitions for Bull (4 of 5)

Bull
[ bool ]

noun
  1. O·le (Bor·ne·mann) [oh-luh-bor-nuh-mahn], /ˈoʊ lə ˈbɒr nəˌmɑn/, 1810–80, Norwegian violinist and composer.

Other definitions for bull. (5 of 5)

bull.

abbreviation
  1. bulletin.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bull in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bull (1 of 5)

bull1

/ (bʊl) /


noun
  1. any male bovine animal, esp one that is sexually mature: Related adjective: taurine

  2. the uncastrated adult male of any breed of domestic cattle

  1. the male of various other animals including the elephant and whale

  2. a very large, strong, or aggressive person

  3. stock exchange

    • a speculator who buys in anticipation of rising prices in order to make a profit on resale

    • (as modifier): a bull market Compare bear 1 (def. 5)

  4. mainly British short for bull's-eye (def. 1), bull's-eye (def. 2)

  5. slang short for bullshit

  6. a bull in a china shop a clumsy person

  7. shoot the bull US and Canadian slang

    • to pass time talking lightly

    • to boast or exaggerate

  8. take the bull by the horns to face and tackle a difficulty without shirking

adjective
  1. male; masculine: a bull elephant

  2. large; strong

verb
  1. (tr) to raise or attempt to raise the price or prices of (a stock market or a security) by speculative buying

  2. (intr) (of a cow) to be on heat

  1. (intr) US slang to talk lightly or foolishly

Origin of bull

1
Old English bula, from Old Norse boli; related to Middle Low German bulle, Middle Dutch bolle

British Dictionary definitions for bull (2 of 5)

bull2

/ (bʊl) /


noun
  1. a ludicrously self-contradictory or inconsistent statement: Also called: Irish bull

Origin of bull

2
C17: of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for bull (3 of 5)

bull3

/ (bʊl) /


noun
  1. a formal document issued by the pope, written in antiquated characters and often sealed with a leaden bulla

Origin of bull

3
C13: from Medieval Latin bulla seal attached to a bull, from Latin: round object

British Dictionary definitions for Bull (4 of 5)

Bull1

/ (bʊl) /


noun
  1. the Bull the constellation Taurus, the second sign of the zodiac

British Dictionary definitions for Bull (5 of 5)

Bull2

/ (bʊl) /


noun
  1. John . 1563–1628, English composer and organist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with bull

bull

In addition to the idioms beginning with bull

  • bull in a china shop
  • bull session

also see:

  • cock and bull story
  • hit the bull's-eye
  • shoot the breeze (bull)
  • take the bull by the horns

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.