bull terrier

American

[bool-ter-ee-er] / ˈbʊlˈtɛr i ər /

Or bullterrier

noun

one of an English breed of medium-sized, short-haired dogs having a white, brindled, or tan and white coat, produced by crossing the bulldog and the terrier.

bull terrier British

noun

a breed of terrier having a muscular body and thick neck, with a short smooth often white coat: developed by crossing the bulldog with various terriers See also pit bull terrier Staffordshire bull terrier

"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

Etymology

Origin of bull terrier

First recorded in 1840–50; bull(dog) + terrier ¹

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.

See Examples For:

bull terrier

Then there was the time her pit bull terrier, Thor, barked at a cat outside, jolting the feline skyward.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026

Thames Valley Police has said that a Staffordshire bull terrier dog, that was initially thought to have been killed in the incident, survived.

From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2024

In May, her 3-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier was dying after a complication during a C-section.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024

One dog, described as a bull terrier mix, was captured in early December, and the second, whose breed was not immediately known, was caught Dec. 31, KTRK-TV reported.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2024

She looked like a perfect bull terrier, only skinnier because of the Maltese mixed in.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

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