bullhorn
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of bullhorn
Compare meaning
How does bullhorn compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A bullhorn is a hand-held device that makes your voice sound much louder when you speak into it. You might address a crowd at a rally or protest by talking into a bullhorn. While in the US, most people know what a bullhorn is, in other places it's called a megaphone. Bullhorns amplify sound, sometimes simply using their cone-like shape, and in other cases using electricity. Anyone who needs to get the attention of a large or noisy group might use a bullhorn to be heard. The word may be based on the shape of a bull's horn, although experts aren't sure about its origin.
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.
It’s hard to use a bullhorn in rock ‘n’ roll without looking stupid or overly dramatic, and it’s another testimony to Shannon’s presentation that you just nodded: of course there would be a bullhorn.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
There was a wave of excitement in the crowd when Michael Shannon picked up a bullhorn, one of Stipe’s favored devices.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
He was constantly barking orders to the Santas, bullhorn in hand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2025
He joked that when a New York Times reporter asked him earlier in the day if he planned to carry a bullhorn around campus, he told them he’d bring two.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2025
One of them got on the bullhorn and told all the kids to get off the street immediately.
From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
