bull

[ boo l ]

/ bʊl /

SEE MORE 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).

Nearby words

Idioms

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

Related formsbull-like, adjective

Definition for bull (2 of 7)

bull

[ 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)

bull

[ 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)

Related formsJohn Bullish, adjectiveJohn Bullishness, nounJohn Bullism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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)

bull

/ (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)

bull

/ (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)

bull

/ (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)

Bull

/ (bʊl) /

noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for bull (5 of 6)

Bull

/ (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 FormsJohn 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

Word Origin and History for bull (1 of 5)

bull

n.1

"bovine male animal," from Old English bula "a bull, a steer," or Old Norse boli "bull," both from Proto-Germanic *bullon- (cf. Middle Dutch bulle, Dutch bul, German Bulle), perhaps from a Germanic verbal stem meaning "to roar," which survives in some German dialects and perhaps in the first element of boulder (q.v.). The other possibility [Watkins] is that the Germanic root is from PIE *bhln-, from root *bhel- (2) "to blow, inflate, swell" (see bole).

An uncastrated male, reared for breeding, as opposed to a bullock or steer. Extended after 1610s to males of other large animals (elephant, alligator, whale, etc.). Stock market sense is from 1714 (see bear (n.)). Meaning "policeman" attested by 1859. Figurative phrase to take the bull by the horns first recorded 1711. To be a bull in a china shop, figurative of careless and inappropriate use of force, attested from 1812 and was the title of a popular humorous song in 1820s England. Bull-baiting attested from 1570s.

Word Origin and History for bull (1 of 5)

bull

n.2

"papal edict," c.1300, from Medieval Latin bulla "sealed document" (source of Old French bulle, Italian bulla), originally the word for the seal itself, from Latin bulla "round swelling, knob," said ultimately to be from Gaulish, from PIE *beu-, a root supposed to have formed words associated with swelling (cf. Lithuanian bule "buttocks," Middle Dutch puyl "bag," also possibly Latin bucca "cheek").

Word Origin and History for bull (2 of 5)

bull

"push through roughly," 1884, from bull (n.1). Related: Bulled; bulling.

Word Origin and History for bull (3 of 5)

bull

n.3

"false talk, fraud," Middle English, apparently from Old French bole "deception, trick, scheming, intrigue," and perhaps connected to modern Icelandic bull "nonsense."

Sais christ to ypocrites ... yee ar ... all ful with wickednes, tresun and bull. ["Cursor Mundi," early 14c.]

There also was a verb bull meaning "to mock, cheat," which dates from 1530s.

Word Origin and History for bull (4 of 5)

John Bull

"Englishman who exemplifies the national character," 1772, from name of a character representing the English nation in Arbuthnot's satire "History of John Bull" (1712).

Culture 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.

Note

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)

RELATED CONTENT

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of bull

Definition for bull (2 of 7)

bull

noun

Origin of bull

Definition for bull (3 of 7)

bull

noun Slang.

Origin of bull

Definition for bull (4 of 7)

Bull

noun

Definition for bull (5 of 7)

bull.

abbreviation

Definition for bull (6 of 7)

Halsey

noun

Definition for bull (7 of 7)

John Bull

noun

Origin of John Bull

Examples from the Web for bull

British Dictionary definitions for bull (1 of 6)

bull

noun

adjective

verb

Word Origin for bull

British Dictionary definitions for bull (2 of 6)

bull

noun

Word Origin for bull

British Dictionary definitions for bull (3 of 6)

bull

noun

Word Origin for bull

British Dictionary definitions for bull (4 of 6)

Bull

noun

British Dictionary definitions for bull (5 of 6)

Bull

noun

British Dictionary definitions for bull (6 of 6)

John Bull

noun

Word Origin for John Bull

Word Origin and History for bull (1 of 5)

bull

Word Origin and History for bull (1 of 5)

bull

Word Origin and History for bull (2 of 5)

bull

Word Origin and History for bull (3 of 5)

bull

Word Origin and History for bull (4 of 5)

John Bull

Culture definitions for bull

John Bull

Note

Idioms and Phrases with bull

bull