Synonyms

bull in a china shop

Idioms

An extremely clumsy person, as in Her living room, with its delicate furniture and knickknacks, made him feel like a bull in a china shop. The precise origin for this term has been lost; it was first recorded in Frederick Marryat's novel, Jacob Faithful (1834).

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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bull in a china shop

With the grace of a bull in a china shop, Thiero flung himself toward the rim.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

Or so often acted like a bull in a china shop, such as by threatening war with Greenland.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

She never even got to clunk and thud her way through any farmhouses or laboratories like a bewigged bull in a china shop.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026

Both are veteran politicians who have the traits of a bull in a china shop.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2023

They floundered about in the wrong clothes with the incorrect haircut and speech patterns like the proverbial bull in a china shop.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023