bullhorn

American  

[bool-hawrn] / ˈbʊlˌhɔrn /

Or bull horn

noun

1. a directional, high-powered, electrical loudspeaker or megaphone.

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bullhorn British  

/ ˈbʊlˌhɔːn /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): loud-hailer.  a portable loudspeaker having a built-in amplifier and microphone

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Etymology

Origin of bullhorn

First recorded in 1950–55; bull ¹ + horn

Compare meaning

How does bullhorn compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bullhorn vs. megaphone

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

Meanwhile, Project Bullhorn, helmed by an associate of ex-Google megadonor Eric Schmidt, is targeting $35 million in spending money by the end of its first year in operation.

From Slate • May 21, 2025

A survey last week from staffing software company Bullhorn, based on information from 260,000 worldwide recruiters, showed that 97% use LinkedIn.

From Forbes • Sep. 8, 2014

Bullhorn offers a Reach Radar tool that watches for profile updates, connections with recruiters, new endorsements… various social media signs that an employee may be on the move.

From Inc • Jan. 26, 2012

Bullhorn in hand, French Dominican Jean Cardonnel, a fiery leftist whose Lenten address helped inspire last year's "May events" in Paris, set the tone of the protest.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• megaphone
• public address system