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bull pen

or bull·pen

|

noun

Baseball.

a place where relief pitchers warm up during a game.
the relief pitchers on a team.

Informal.

a large cell or room, usually next to the courtroom, where prisoners are temporarily held.
a large room in an office occupied by many employees.

any temporary or crowded quarters, as sleeping quarters in a lumber camp.

a pen for a bull or bulls.

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Nearby words

Origin of bull pen

1800–10, Americanism for def 4; 1920–25 for def 1

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

Examples from the Web for bull pen

The prisoners were finally put in the "bull-pen," and the brigade permitted to go into camp.
History of the Eighty-sixth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, during its term of service|John R. Kinnear
Unlock him at seven in the morning, and let him come to the bull-pen.
Roads of Destiny|O. Henry
His imagination travelled on beyond the bull-pen, to the shabby dance-halls along the river.
Children of the Desert|Louis Dodge
So I said, “Lodgers are often forced into the bull-pen, too, are they not?”
Broke|Edwin A. Brown

He could not throw well enough to make his mark in that famous West ern game of bull-pen.
The Hoosier Schoolmaster|Edward Eggleston