John Bull

American  

noun

1. England; the English people.

2. the typical Englishman.

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John Bull British  

noun

1. a personification of England or the English people

2. a typical Englishman

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John Bull Cultural  

1. A figure who stands for England in literary and political satire and in cartoons. John Bull is a stout, feisty man, often shown in a suit made out of the British flag.

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John Bull is the British equivalent of the United States'symbol (see also symbol) Uncle Sam.

Other Word Forms

• John Bullishness
  noun
• John Bullism
  noun
• John Bullish
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of John Bull

1705–15; named after John Bull, chief character in Arbuthnot's allegory The History of John Bull (1712)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

John Bull

Unlike his Catholic contemporaries John Dowland, John Bull and Richard Dering, Byrd didn’t flee the country, opting instead to stay and, in part, abide by the new, state-enforced Protestantism.

From New York Times ● Jul. 4, 2023

By the time the moratorium was lifted in May, about 1,800 people were in county jails awaiting transfer to state prisons, said John Bull, a spokesman for North Carolina’s Department of Public Safety.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 16, 2020

The Belgian capital has already dressed its famous Mannekin Pis statue of a urinating boy in a John Bull costume, with Union flag waistcoat.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2020

Department of Public Safety spokesman John Bull referred questions about the attacker to local law enforcement.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 31, 2019

Finally, here was a clear opportunity to strive toward mastering the language of John Bull.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane