bulldoze

[bool-dohz]

verb (used with object)

bulldozed, bulldozing 

1. to clear, level, or reshape the contours of (land) by or as if by using a bulldozer.

   to bulldoze a building site.

2. to clear away by or as if by using a bulldozer.

   to bulldoze trees from a site.

3. to coerce or intimidate, as with threats.

   Synonyms: dragoon, hector, bully, cow, browbeat

verb (used without object)

bulldozed, bulldozing 

1. to use a bulldozer.

   to clear this rubble away we may have to bulldoze.

2. to advance or force one's way in the manner of a bulldozer.

bulldoze

/ ˈbʊlˌdəʊz /

verb

1. to move, demolish, flatten, etc, with a bulldozer

2. informal,  to force; push

   he bulldozed his way through the crowd

3. informal,  to intimidate or coerce

Word History and Origins

Origin of bulldoze¹

1875–80, origin uncertain; the notion that it represents a verb use of bull dose, i.e., a dose fit for a bull, is probably without merit; bulldoze defs. 1, 2, 4, 5 are back formations from bulldozer in the sense “tractor”

Word History and Origins

Origin of bulldoze¹

C19: probably from _bull ¹ + _dose

Example Sentences

Penn State bulldozed for the opening touchdown of overtime, and Oregon matched it.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The neighborhoods that were bulldozed in the name of “urban renewal” were also segregated.

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Robert Smithson had bulldozed dirt and rocks to build a spiral jetty coiling out into Utah’s Great Salt Lake.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Both are likely to bulldoze the box office this side of Christmas, both are new instalments of previous best picture nominees, and both have colons in their titles.

Read more on BBC

Meanwhile, a crackdown on informal settlements that police say harbour criminals saw more than 220 shanty homes bulldozed in August.

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Related Words

• flatten 
• raze 
• shove 

When To Use

What does bulldoze mean?

To bulldoze is to clear, level, or push debris away from an area using a bulldozer—a large tractor that has a big, blade-like shovel at the front and moves around using metal tracks over wheels.Sometimes, bulldoze can mean to clear an area in this way even if a bulldozer isn’t used.Bulldoze can also be used figuratively, meaning to move forward or advance in an aggressive or forceful way. This can be physical, as in He just bulldozed his way to the goal by pushing through three defenders, or through an aggressive attitude, as in Instead of cooperating with his colleagues, he just bulldozes his way through tasks until he gets what he wants. This sense of the word likens such behavior to the way that a bulldozer powerfully clears everything in its path.However, before its association with the construction vehicle, bulldoze originally meant to intimidate, such as with threats of violence. Early records of this use refer to violent attacks, especially whipping, against African Americans by white people in the Southern United States. However, the origin of these words, and how bulldozer came to be a name for a type of tractor, is ultimately unclear.The verb doze can be used as a short way of saying bulldoze, as in We need to doze this whole area or She dozes through every obstacle that’s put in her way.