bull's-eye

[ boolz-ahy ]
See synonyms for bull's-eye on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural bull's-eyes.
  1. the circular spot, usually black or outlined in black, at the center of a target marked with concentric circles and used in target practice.

  2. a shot that hits this.

  1. the center or central area of a military target, as of a town or factory, in a bombing raid.

  2. a missile that strikes the central area of a target.

  3. the coordinates or instance of aiming and firing a missile that results in its hitting the center of a target.

  4. Informal.

    • any statement or act that is precisely to the point or achieves a desired result directly.

    • something that is decisive or crucial; crux.

  5. a small circular opening or window.

  6. a thick disk or lenslike piece of glass inserted in a roof, ship's deck, etc., to admit light.

  7. Optics. a lens of short focal length.

  8. a lantern equipped with a lens of this sort.

  9. Nautical. an oval or circular wooden block having a groove around it and a hole in the center, through which to reeve a rope.

  10. Meteorology. (formerly) the eye of a storm.

  11. a large, round piece of peppermint-flavored hard candy.

Origin of bull's-eye

1
First recorded in 1680–90

Other words from bull's-eye

  • bull's-eyed, adjective

Words Nearby bull's-eye

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for bull's-eye

bull's-eye

noun
  1. the small central disc of a target, usually the highest valued area

  2. a shot hitting this

  1. informal something that exactly achieves its aim

  2. a small circular or oval window or opening

  3. a thick disc of glass set into a ship's deck, etc, to admit light

  4. the glass boss at the centre of a sheet of blown glass

    • a small thick plano-convex lens used as a condenser

    • a lamp or lantern containing such a lens

  5. a peppermint-flavoured, usually striped, boiled sweet

  6. nautical a circular or oval wooden block with a groove around it for the strop of a shroud and a hole at its centre for a line: Compare deadeye

  7. meteorol the eye or centre of a cyclone

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