bullion
Americannoun
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gold or silver considered in mass rather than in value.
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gold or silver in the form of bars or ingots.
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Also called bullion fringe. a thick trimming of cord covered with gold or silver thread, for decorating uniforms.
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embroidery or lace worked with gold wire or gold or silver cords.
noun
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gold or silver in mass
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gold or silver in the form of bars and ingots, suitable for further processing
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Also called: bullion fringe. a thick gold or silver wire or fringed cord used as a trimming, as on military uniforms
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bullion
1300–50; Middle English: melted mass of gold or silver < Anglo-Latin bulliōn- (stem of bulliō ) in same sense (< Anglo-French bullion mint), literally, a boiling, equivalent to bull ( īre ) to bubble, boil 1 + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
If you wanted to rob Fort Knox and take all of its gold, you'd plan a heist to get the bullion. Bullion is gold or silver in bulk, often in the shape of a bar. Once upon a time, coins were made of actual precious metals. Before the coins were made, the gold and silver for them was stored bulk, in bullion. Try not to confuse this word with, bouillon, which is broth, or a cube of beef or chicken flavoring used to make broth. If you see the OU in the first syllable, it's a clue that it's the sOUp. If you just see a "bull," think of the stock market and glittery gold.
Vocabulary lists containing bullion
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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.
The survey also highlighted that central banks are increasingly changing where their bullion is stored, with 10% of respondents saying they had diversified overseas storage locations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
Goldman economists hold that if central banks begin to loosen policy in late 2027 through 2028, prices will likely increase again as their buying of bullion competes with demand from private investors.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Staff submit to frequent polygraph tests to ensure they aren’t making off with the bullion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Paradoxically, that could be one of the more bearish outcomes for gold because it would begin removing the uncertainty premium that has helped support bullion.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Finally, the whole team was dressed, had listened to Coach Spinks’s pre-game harangue, and now waited on that trough of suspended time when each second seems weighed down by the glistening bullion of tension.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
