bull

[ boo l ]

/ bʊl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bull ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the male of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos, with sexual organs intact and capable of reproduction.

the male of certain other animals, as the elephant and moose.

a large, solidly built person.

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

(initial capital letter) Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Taurus.

a bulldog.

Slang. a police officer.

adjective

male.

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

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

verb (used with object)

Stock Exchange. to attempt to raise the price of.

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

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

Nautical. to ram (a buoy).

QUIZZES

How Hip Is Your Lingo? Take Our Slang Quiz!

If you aren’t already skilled in slang, then this quiz can get you up to speed in no time!

Question 1 of 11

OK Boomer can be perceived as pejorative, but it is mostly considered to be _____

a slang word for astronauts that originated in the 1950s.

a comment toward the Baby Boomer generation that is humorous or ironic in usage.

an obsolete slang term about people who speak loudly.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for bull

bull in a china shop,

an awkward or clumsy person.
an inconsiderate or tactless person.
a troublemaker; dangerous person.

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

Origin of bull

1150–1200; Middle English bule, Old English bula; akin to Old Norse boli; see bullock

OTHER WORDS FROM bull

bull-like, adjective

Words nearby bull

bulkhead, bulkhead deck, bulkheading, bulking, bulky, bull, bull ant, bull bars, bull bay, bull block, bull chain

Definition for bull (2 of 7)

bull²

[ boo l ]

/ bʊl /

noun

a bulla or seal.

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

Origin of bull

1250–1300; Middle English bulle < Anglo-French < Medieval Latin bulla seal, sealed document; see bulla

Definition for bull (3 of 7)

bull³

[ boo l ]

/ bʊl /

noun Slang.

exaggerations; lies; nonsense.

Origin of bull

1620–30; < Medieval Latin bulla play, game, jest, perhaps special use of Latin bulla bubble; now generally taken as a euphemistic shortening of bullshit

Definition for bull (4 of 7)

Bull

[ bool ]

/ bul /

noun

O·le (Bor·ne·mann)

[oh-luh bor-nuh-mahn] /ˈoʊ lə ˈbɒr nəˌmɑn/,1810–80, Norwegian violinist and composer.

Definition for bull (5 of 7)

bull.

abbreviation

bulletin.

Definition for bull (6 of 7)

Halsey

[ hawl-zee ]

/ ˈhɔl zi /

noun

William FrederickBull,1882–1959, U.S. admiral.

Definition for bull (7 of 7)

John Bull

noun

England; the English people.

the typical Englishman.

Origin of John Bull

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

OTHER WORDS FROM John Bull

John Bullish, adjectiveJohn Bullishness, nounJohn Bullism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for bull

Yes, the minor-league baseball player memorably portrayed by Kevin Costner in Bull Durham.
All The Wrong Reasons to Ban Gay Unions|Jay Michaelson|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He also said police intend to put their beloved family pet, a Staffordshire bull terrier named Excalibur, to sleep.
Ebola in Europe: What Went Wrong|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Biden made many visits to Baghdad and no doubt get fed a load of bull about inclusion on each one.
Exposed: The White House’s Professor-in-Chief|Jonathan Alter|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like at Bull Run, when I am in the presence of those old family letters, I am transported.
How Gettysburg Did Not Unlock the Past|Laird Hunt|September 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But the old city, site of the bull run, has the inevitable trappings of a theme park for aficionados of the vicarious kind.
Is This Hemingway’s Pamplona or a Lot of Bull?|Clive Irving|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The moon is still figured as a bull, but it is the idea of strength that is extracted from the picture and dwelt upon.
The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria|Morris Jastrow
Dubs all, and bull's-eyes up is what I play, unless you want to put in agates?
Cardigan|Robert W. Chambers
The bull followed her pensively, after having testified his gratitude to the beneficent Mambres.
Voltaire's Romances|Franois-Marie Arouet
Tired and hungry, and then baited like a bull by your rusty wits!
In Sunny Spain with Pilarica and Rafael|Katharine Lee Bates
The bull took a long curious look at the mustang who continued to graze peacefully.
Ticktock and Jim|Keith Robertson

British Dictionary definitions for bull (1 of 6)

bull¹

/ (bʊl) /

noun

any male bovine animal, esp one that is sexually matureRelated adjective: taurine

the uncastrated adult male of any breed of domestic cattle

the male of various other animals including the elephant and whale

a very large, strong, or aggressive person

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)

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

slang short for bullshit

short for bulldog, bull terrier

a bull in a china shop a clumsy person

shoot the bull US and Canadian slang

to pass time talking lightly
to boast or exaggerate

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

adjective

male; masculinea bull elephant

large; strong

verb

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

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

(intr) US slang to talk lightly or foolishly

Word Origin for bull

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

British Dictionary definitions for bull (2 of 6)

bull²

/ (bʊl) /

noun

a ludicrously self-contradictory or inconsistent statementAlso called: Irish bull

Word Origin for bull

C17: of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for bull (3 of 6)

bull³

/ (bʊl) /

noun

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

Word Origin for bull

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

British Dictionary definitions for bull (4 of 6)

Bull¹

/ (bʊl) /

noun

the Bull the constellation Taurus, the second sign of the zodiac

British Dictionary definitions for bull (5 of 6)

Bull²

/ (bʊl) /

noun

John . 1563–1628, English composer and organist

See John Bull

British Dictionary definitions for bull (6 of 6)

John Bull

noun

a personification of England or the English people

a typical Englishman

Derived forms of John Bull

John Bullish, adjectiveJohn Bullishness, nounJohn Bullism, noun

Word Origin for John Bull

C18: name of a character intended to be representative of the English nation in The History of John Bull (1712) by John Arbuthnot

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

Cultural definitions for bull

John Bull

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.

notes for John Bull

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

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

bull

noun

adjective

verb (used with object)

QUIZZES

Idioms for bull

Origin of bull

OTHER WORDS FROM bull

Words nearby bull

Definition for bull (2 of 7)

noun

Origin of bull

Definition for bull (3 of 7)

noun Slang.

Origin of bull

Definition for bull (4 of 7)

noun

Definition for bull (5 of 7)

abbreviation

Definition for bull (6 of 7)

noun

Definition for bull (7 of 7)

noun

Origin of John Bull

OTHER WORDS FROM John Bull

Words related to bull

Example sentences from the Web for bull

British Dictionary definitions for bull (1 of 6)

noun

adjective

verb

Word Origin for bull

British Dictionary definitions for bull (2 of 6)

noun

Word Origin for bull

British Dictionary definitions for bull (3 of 6)

noun

Word Origin for bull

British Dictionary definitions for bull (4 of 6)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for bull (5 of 6)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for bull (6 of 6)

noun

Derived forms of John Bull

Word Origin for John Bull

Cultural definitions for bull

notes for John Bull

Idioms and Phrases with bull