Showing results for "bullying"

• present participle of bully.

bullying

American  

[bool-ee-ing] / ˈbʊl i ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of harassing, intimidating, or abusing others, especially habitually or from a perceived position of relative power.

   Bullying and stress can impact students' experiences at school.

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Other Word Forms

• unbullying
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of bullying

First recorded in 1675–85; bully ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Bullying is the act of intimidating someone else. Threatening to beat up your little brother if he doesn't clean your room for you is most certainly an act of bullying. You may have heard of the word bully, which is a person, often young, who harasses others. A schoolyard bully might call you names, steal your lunch money, and generally make your life miserable. Bullying is the act of being a bully. Believe it or not, bullying can be serious business with grave consequences. There are even laws that require schools to take action against bullying.

Example Sentences

Appeared in the December 2, 2025, print edition as 'The Lesson of China’s Japan Bullying'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025

Bullying as overcompensation for obvious insecurity and resentment that the world does not view their mediocrity as excellence?

From Salon • Oct. 16, 2024

Talia, also Year 8, added: "Bullying has gone down and I feel safe knowing it is in a locker where nobody can take it and it cannot fall out of my blazer pocket."

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2024

Yet some parents said they still weren’t sure why “The Bullying Collection” was canceled because school officials never explained the decision.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 18, 2024

When they were brought into the sick man's room, James beheld amongst them three persons whom he little expected to meet in such a situation: Idle Isaac, Wild Will, and Bullying Bob.

From Tales and Novels — Volume 02 by Edgeworth, Maria

Related Words

• imperious