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.
In preparation for the march, he had purchased a $20 bullhorn from Amazon and called the San Francisco Police Department to ask about a permit.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026
It was a message sent with a bullhorn, a move made with all the subtlety of an elbow to the ribs.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025
A few hours later, at a nightclub, Law laughs as a silver Jack Frost with a bullhorn yells to the clubbers to “Dance for Santa! Dance for Santa!”
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
Words in English and Spanish thundered through a bullhorn.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
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.
