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

bull mastiff, bull moose, bull neck, bull nose, bull of the woods, bull pen, bull riding, bull rope, bull run, bull run, battle of, bull session

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