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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In Cold Blood
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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.
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
—Gold prices slipped, pressured by higher oil prices and higher Treasury yields, which increase the opportunity cost of holding nonyielding bullion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
And both of these are on top of the registered income Farage acknowledges, external for promoting gold bullion.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Extra credit was the bullion he used to bribe the indolent scholar.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
