bull

¹ American  

[bool] / bʊl /

noun

1. the male of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos, with sexual organs intact and capable of reproduction.

2. the male of certain other mammals, as elephants and moose.

3. a large, solidly built person.

4. a person who believes that market prices, especially of stocks, will increase (bear ).

5. Astronomy, Astrology. Bull, the constellation or sign of Taurus.

6. a bulldog.

7. Slang. a police officer.

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adjective

1. male.

2. of, relating to, or resembling a bull, as in strength.

3. having to do with or marked by a continuous trend of rising prices, as of stocks.

   a bull market.

verb (used with object)

1. Stock Exchange. to attempt to raise the price of.

2. to speculate in, in expectation of a rise in price.

3. to force; shove.

   to bull one's way through a crowd.

4. Nautical. to ram (a buoy).

idioms

1. take the bull by the horns, to attack a difficult or risky problem fearlessly.

2. bull in a china shop,

   1. an awkward or clumsy person.

   2. an inconsiderate or tactless person.

   3. a troublemaker; dangerous person.

bull ² American  

[bool] / bʊl /

noun

Slang.

1. exaggeration, lies, or nonsense.

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idioms

1. shoot / throw the bull, to talk aimlessly.

   We just sat around shooting the bull.

bull ³ American  

[bool] / bʊl /

noun

1. a bulla or seal.

2. Roman Catholic Church. a formal papal document having a bulla attached.

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Bull ⁴ American  

[bool] / bul /

noun

1. Ole (Bornemann) 1810–80, Norwegian violinist and composer.

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bull. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. bulletin.

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bull ¹ British  

/ bʊl /

noun

1. any male bovine animal, esp one that is sexually mature

2. the uncastrated adult male of any breed of domestic cattle

3. the male of various other animals including the elephant and whale

4. a very large, strong, or aggressive person

5. stock exchange

   1. a speculator who buys in anticipation of rising prices in order to make a profit on resale

   2. ( as modifier ) Compare bear 1

      a bull market

6. short for bull's-eye bull's-eye

7. slang short for bullshit

8. short for bulldog bull terrier

9. a clumsy person

10. slang

    1. to pass time talking lightly

    2. to boast or exaggerate

11. to face and tackle a difficulty without shirking

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adjective

1. male; masculine

   a bull elephant

2. large; strong

verb

1. (tr) to raise or attempt to raise the price or prices of (a stock market or a security) by speculative buying

2. (intr) (of a cow) to be on heat

3. slang (intr) to talk lightly or foolishly

Bull ² British  

/ bʊl /

noun

1. John . 1563–1628, English composer and organist

2. See John Bull

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Bull ³ British  

/ bʊl /

noun

1. the constellation Taurus, the second sign of the zodiac

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bull ⁴ British  

/ bʊl /

noun

1. Also called: Irish bull.  a ludicrously self-contradictory or inconsistent statement

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bull ⁵ British  

/ bʊl /

noun

1. a formal document issued by the pope, written in antiquated characters and often sealed with a leaden bulla

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bull More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing bull

• cock and bull story
• hit the bull's-eye
• shoot the breeze (bull)
• take the bull by the horns

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Other Word Forms

• bull-like adjective

Etymology

Origin of bull¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English bule, Old English bula; akin to Old Norse boli; Greek phallós “penis,” from a root meaning “to swell”; bullock

Origin of bull²

First recorded in 1620–30; from Medieval Latin bulla “play, game, jest,” perhaps special use of Latin bulla “bubble”; now generally taken as a euphemistic shortening of bullshit

Origin of bull³

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bull(e) “a (lead) seal affixed to a papal edict, papal edict; official sealed document,” from Medieval Latin bulla “seal, sealed document,” from Latin ; bulla

Example Sentences

When similar events occur during bull markets, external events are often a trigger rather than a cause.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Because buyers stepped in near key support levels between roughly $4,000 and $4,340—levels that have held multiple times over the past year—the precious metal may be positioned to sustain its longer-term bull market.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Investors are likely seeing a late stage of bullion’s bull run, Joni Teves, precious-metals strategist at the Swiss investment bank, told MarketWatch in an interview on Friday.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

The Big Tech stocks, which had done much of the heavy lifting since the start of the current bull market in late 2022, suddenly appeared to hit a wall.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

“That was a bull shark. It was trapped in a salt pond on the Cape.”

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen