bullet

American  

[bool-it] / ˈbʊl ɪt /

noun

1. a small metal projectile, part of a cartridge, for firing from small arms.

2. a cartridge.

3. a small ball.

4. Printing. a heavy dot for marking paragraphs or otherwise calling attention to or itemizing particular sections of text, especially in display advertising.

5. Cards. an ace.

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verb (used without object)

bulleted, bulleting

1. to move swiftly.

idioms

1. bite the bullet, to force oneself to perform a painful, difficult task or to endure an unpleasant situation.

   We'll just have to bite the bullet and pay higher taxes.

bullet British  

/ ˈbʊlɪt /

noun

1. 1. a small metallic missile enclosed in a cartridge, used as the projectile of a gun, rifle, etc

   2. the entire cartridge

2. something resembling a bullet, esp in shape or effect

3. stock exchange a fixed interest security with a single maturity date

4. commerce a security that offers a fixed interest and matures on a fixed date

5. commerce

   1. the final repayment of a loan that repays the whole of the sum borrowed, as interim payments have been for interest only

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bullet loan

6. slang dismissal, sometimes without notice (esp in the phrases get or give the bullet )

7. printing See centred dot

8. See bite

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bullet More Idioms  

1. see bite the bullet; sweat bullets.

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Other Word Forms

• bullet-like adjective
• bulletless adjective
• bulletlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of bullet

1550–60; < Middle French boullette, equivalent to boulle ball ( see bowl ²) + -ette -ette

Explanation

A bullet is the metal object that is fired out of a gun when its trigger is pulled. Without bullets, a gun is harmless. If someone talks about ammunition for a gun, they're talking about bullets. A bullet doesn't usually contain explosives but does its damage by penetrating whatever — or whomever — it hits. The Middle French source of bullet is boulette, "cannonball" or "small ball," from boule, "a ball," with its Latin root bulla, "round thing." To "bite the bullet" means to withstand an unpleasant but necessary situation, from the (possibly fictitious) practice of patients biting bullets during painful operations.

Example Sentences

"I don't know if there were jihadists at the market. We are just ordinary people," Mala Garba, 42, told AFP from a hospital in Borno state capital Maiduguri while recovering from bullet wounds.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

It also writes instructions on the kind of responses you prefer: less enthusiastic writing, perhaps, or bullet points instead of long-winded paragraphs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

The UK government has been under pressure to bring in a statutory ban of smartphones in schools, although recent research suggested strict bans were not a "silver bullet".

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

It's an expensive golden bullet to bring down a relatively cheap fibreglass drone.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Drs. Agnew and Hamilton each examined the bullet wound using probes.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

• ammunition
• ball
• cartridge
• pellet
• projectile
• rocket
• round
• shot
• slug