bulldozer

American  

[bool-doh-zer] / ˈbʊlˌdoʊ zər /

noun

• bulldozers
  plural

1. a large, powerful tractor having a vertical blade at the front end for moving earth, tree stumps, rocks, etc.

2. a person who intimidates or coerces.

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bulldozer British  

/ ˈbʊlˌdəʊzə /

noun

1. a powerful tractor fitted with caterpillar tracks and a blade at the front, used for moving earth, rocks, etc

2. informal a person who bulldozes

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Usage

What does bulldozer mean? A bulldozer is a large tractor that has a big, blade-like shovel at the front and moves around using metal tracks over wheels. A bulldozer is a kind of earthmover—they are typically used to move earth and clear debris from an area. They are sometimes called dozers for short. Less commonly, bulldozer can also mean a person who intentionally tries to intimidate others. In fact, this was its original use, first recorded in the 1870s. The verb bulldoze comes from around the same time. Today, bulldoze typically means to use a bulldozer, such as to move dirt or clear an area, or, more figuratively, to move forward or advance in an aggressive or forceful way. However, 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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bulldozers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bulldozer

1875–80, 1925–30 in the sense “tractor”; origin uncertain. See bulldoze ( def. )

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Explanation

A bulldozer is a large truck with a wide blade that can dig and push dirt and debris. You'll often see a bulldozer among the vehicles on a construction site. Although many people have a tendency to call any giant truck a bulldozer, it's actually a specific kind of tractor with a blade called a "dozer blade" at the front and a big claw, or "ripper" at the back. A bulldozer can run over any rubble or trash and clear it away — this ability led to the slang meaning of the word, "powerful, intimidating person."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bulldozer bulldozers

Fans at Mattioli Woods Welford Road are used to entertainment by bulldozer.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

Valuable evidence was also lost when, just days after the collision, a bulldozer levelled the site.

From Barron's ● Mar. 23, 2026

So far, they’ve been a bulldozer, more than a little absurd.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

"It's a sad fact that in archaeology today, you're almost always trailing behind someone's bulldozer," Kidder said.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 24, 2025

The only two guys in sight were the guy driving the bulldozer and the fellow behind him, who was driving a forklift.

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green

Glasgow-based filmmaker Alessio Avezzano shot scenes for his post-apocalyptic sci-fi horror comedy, Behind, on the estate before bulldozers moved in last May.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Many victims’ families and advocacy groups, some of whom vowed to lay down in front of bulldozers, objected to rebuilding on the site because they considered it a graveyard and hallowed ground.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The noise of backhoes, cranes and bulldozers echoed across Colombia's quake-hit cities on Sunday as workers labored to remove rubble, though the chance of finding survivors was slim a week after the disaster.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

On the north and west sides of the blaze, bulldozers and ground crews built defensive lines to impede the fire’s spread.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Yet he couldn’t stop thinking ahead to the day when the owl dens would be destroyed by bulldozers.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

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