bullet

[ bool-it ]

/ ˈbʊl ɪt /

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See synonyms for: bullet / bulleted / bulleting / bullets on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

a cartridge.

a small ball.

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

Cards. an ace.

verb (used without object), bul·let·ed, bul·let·ing.

to move swiftly.

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Idioms about bullet

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.

Origin of bullet

1550–60; <Middle French boullette, equivalent to boulle ball (see bowl²) + -ette-ette

OTHER WORDS FROM bullet

bul·let·less, adjectivebul·let·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bullet in a sentence

They were the machine gun bullets coming from the ambush when my company got hit.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
According to a police source, that fax came in at 2:46 p.m.—literally a after before the fatal bullets flew.
Alleged Cop Killer Ismaaiyl Brinsley Had a Death Wish|M.L. Nestel|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Coren said she never felt she was at risk of bodily harm, even as the bullets flew.
CNN's Overnight Sydney Star|Lloyd Grove|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the case of Steven Eugene Washington, nothing more than a blank stare made him a target for police bullets.
Worse Than Eric Garner: Cops Who Got Away With Killing Autistic Men and Little Girls|Emily Shire|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

They unleashed a hail of bullets to rival the final scene in ‘Bonnie and Clyde.’
The Cleveland Cops Who Fired 137 Shots and Cried Victim|Michael Daly|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Quite a good lot of bullets were plopping into the water, so the Commodore ordered the Colne to lie further out.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
None of the bullets harmed horse or man, and the sowars were not quite near enough to be in the line of fire.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
A huge string game-bag was slung over his back, and in an antelope's horn or a crane's bill bullets were carried.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Even bullets will fly off from any other part of the scaly covering as though they had struck against a stone wall.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
Five horses were shot under him, his clothes were riddled with bullets, but he was reserved for a sinister fate.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison

British Dictionary definitions for bullet

bullet

/ (ˈbʊlɪt) /

noun

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

something resembling a bullet, esp in shape or effect

stock exchange a fixed interest security with a single maturity date

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

commerce

the final repayment of a loan that repays the whole of the sum borrowed, as interim payments have been for interest only
(as modifier)a bullet loan

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

printing See centred dot

bite the bullet See bite (def. 14)

Derived forms of bullet

bullet-like, adjective

Word Origin for bullet

C16: from French boulette, diminutive of boule ball; see bowl ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with bullet

bullet

see bite the bullet; sweat bullets.

bullet

Idioms about bullet

Origin of bullet

OTHER WORDS FROM bullet

Words related to bullet

How to use bullet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bullet

Derived forms of bullet

Word Origin for bullet

Other Idioms and Phrases with bullet