bull
noun
the male of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos, with sexual organs intact and capable of reproduction.
bull
1 American
[bool]
/ bʊl /
noun
-
the male of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos, with sexual organs intact and capable of reproduction.
-
the male of certain other mammals, as elephants and moose.
-
a large, solidly built person.
-
a person who believes that market prices, especially of stocks, will increase (opposed to bear).
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Astronomy, Astrology. Bull, the constellation or sign of Taurus.
-
a bulldog.
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Slang. a police officer.
adjective
-
male.
-
of, relating to, or resembling a bull, as in strength.
-
having to do with or marked by a continuous trend of rising prices, as of stocks.
a bull market.
verb (used with object)
-
bulls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bulled,
past participle, past
-
bulling
present participle
-
Stock Exchange. to attempt to raise the price of.
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to speculate in, in expectation of a rise in price.
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to force; shove.
to bull one's way through a crowd.
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Nautical. to ram (a buoy).
idioms
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take the bull by the horns, to attack a difficult or risky problem fearlessly.
-
bull in a china shop,
-
an awkward or clumsy person.
-
an inconsiderate or tactless person.
-
a troublemaker; dangerous person.
-
bull
2
American
[bool]
/ bʊl /
noun
Slang.
idioms
bull
3
American
[bool]
/ bʊl /
noun
-
a bulla or seal.
-
Roman Catholic Church. a formal papal document having a bulla attached.
Bull
4
American
[bool]
/ bul /
noun
bull.
5
American
abbreviation
bull
1
British
/ bʊl /
noun
-
any male bovine animal, esp one that is sexually mature
-
the uncastrated adult male of any breed of domestic cattle
-
the male of various other animals including the elephant and whale
-
a very large, strong, or aggressive person
-
stock exchange
-
a speculator who buys in anticipation of rising prices in order to make a profit on resale
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( as modifier ) Compare bear 1
a bull market
-
-
short for bull's-eye bull's-eye
-
slang short for bullshit
-
short for bulldog bull terrier
-
a clumsy person
-
slang
-
to pass time talking lightly
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to boast or exaggerate
-
-
to face and tackle a difficulty without shirking
adjective
-
male; masculine
a bull elephant
-
large; strong
verb
-
(tr) to raise or attempt to raise the price or prices of (a stock market or a security) by speculative buying
-
(intr) (of a cow) to be on heat
-
slang (intr) to talk lightly or foolishly
Bull
2
British
/ bʊl /
noun
-
John . 1563–1628, English composer and organist
-
See John Bull
Bull
3
British
/ bʊl /
noun
bull
4
British
/ bʊl /
noun
bull
5
British
/ bʊl /
noun
bull
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bullsimple
-
bullssimple
-
have bulledperfect
-
has bulledperfect
-
am bullingprogressive
-
are bullingprogressive
-
is bullingprogressive
-
have been bullingperfect progressive
-
has been bullingperfect progressive
Past
-
bulledsimple
-
had bulledperfect
-
was bullingprogressive
-
were bullingprogressive
-
had been bullingperfect progressive
Future
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”; see 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 ; see origin at bulla
Explanation
A bull is a male cow. You can usually tell which animal in a pasture is a bull by its large size and horns. A male bovine — or cow — is a bull, and so is a male whale or elephant. Fittingly, the word bull is sometimes also used for a particularly bulky, muscular man. Another informal and slightly obscene meaning is "ridiculous," or "not true," as when you tell a lie and your brother rudely replies, "Bull!" This slang meaning has its roots in the Old French bole, "deception or trick."
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:
When it comes to a bull market, Warren Buffett said, “only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026
Matson traces its roots to one night three years ago when, he claims, a pit bull dug under his fence and killed an ostrich as she slept.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Strategists at Citadel Securities and JPMorgan both said they have turned temporarily cautious, though neither is saying the bull market is over.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
While average forward 100-day returns after such an outsize rally of two standard deviations have “slipped in the current bull market,” they remain positive, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
He put his head down and charged at Edward Ashton like a furious bull charging at a matador’s red cape.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
A Red Bull protege, his time in the works team in 2019 did not work out.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
But that contract has performance clauses, and if Red Bull are still struggling next year, it may well be that McLaren have another go for Verstappen.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
In Hadjar's case, the Frenchman suffered what Red Bull describe as a "minor fracture" while doing a boxing exercise which is part of his normal gym routine.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Those QQQ calls will exploit the “runaway upside we expect before the ‘Checkered Flag’ is waved to end the ‘AI Revolution’ Bull Market race,” Emanuel says.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
After he swallowed the egg yolks whole, Bull spread a gluttonous helping of Crosse and Blackwell orange marmalade on two pieces of toast and consumed them with as much noise as relish.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
“Strong like a bull. Til the end. At home and among all those who loved you dearly, you will be missed always,” Parker captioned a black-and-white photo of Forste on Friday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2022
“I had to sit on a bull. Ron Howard drove me home in his VW, and I said, ‘Ron, tell me now.
From Fox News ● Oct. 15, 2019
“Once he got that lead, he was a pit bull. He pitched better in the sixth and seventh innings.”
From Washington Post ● May 25, 2019
“I’m sort of like a pit bull. I never let it go.”
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 6, 2016
“Not only do we have a veterinarian—and a Cornell-educated one at that—we have a bull. A bull!”
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
In one trading location at least, Anthropic has already hit the magic $2 trillion valuation that its shareholders and AI bulls were seeking as confirmation and vindiation of the whole AI ecosystem.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
I am focusing on these nine indicators in tandem because, when focusing on this or that indicator in isolation, the bulls often can point to possible theoretical objections to its message.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
The breakout above the July highs has been accompanied by decisive buying pressure, with the subsequent momentum suggesting that the bulls are in control, Weston says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Yak bulls at the Pettee Ranch, one of the largest yak operations in the country with about 250 head.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
The cows are much smaller, but they make more noise than the bulls, screaming and barking through the whole day and sometimes at night.
From "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell
By one measure, investors haven’t been this bulled up on stocks since the heady days of the original meme-stock frenzy back in 2021.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
The 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara bulled his way to the rim and swatted shots away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
Hill, who plays like he should be a tight end for an NFL team, bulled his way around for 18 points, making nine of 13 shots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026
Swift's three-yard TD gave the Bears a 7-0 lead and Monangai bulled over for a four-yard score that made it 17-9 in the fourth quarter.
From Barron's ● Nov. 29, 2025
Rather than pause, I just bulled ahead, faking it as best I could as I eyed his hooves to see if they were chipped or cracked.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Joveljic then scored the game-winner in the 76th minute, bulling his way through traffic to score on a left-footed shot from the center of the box.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2024
“I just want to make sure. Did you apologize for the behavior that went on with you and your date?” he asked, bulling over her attempts to interrupt him.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2024
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he abhorred bulling and the abuse of power after he was asked why he promoted a Conservative lawmaker following complaints of sexual misconduct made against him.
From Reuters ● Jul. 6, 2022
His bulling 8-yard run through several tacklers pulled Arizona within 27-20 early in the fourth quarter.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 13, 2021
Jon threw himself forward, bulling into the other man, and they went down together, legs entangled.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
