bull's-eye
Americannoun
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the circular spot, usually black or outlined in black, at the center of a target marked with concentric circles and used in target practice.
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a shot that hits this.
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the center or central area of a military target, as of a town or factory, in a bombing raid.
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a missile that strikes the central area of a target.
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the coordinates or instance of aiming and firing a missile that results in its hitting the center of a target.
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Informal.
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any statement or act that is precisely to the point or achieves a desired result directly.
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something that is decisive or crucial; crux.
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a small circular opening or window.
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a thick disk or lenslike piece of glass inserted in a roof, ship's deck, etc., to admit light.
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Optics. a lens of short focal length.
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a lantern equipped with a lens of this sort.
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Nautical. an oval or circular wooden block having a groove around it and a hole in the center, through which to reeve a rope.
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Meteorology. (formerly) the eye of a storm.
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a large, round piece of peppermint-flavored hard candy.
noun
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the small central disc of a target, usually the highest valued area
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a shot hitting this
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informal something that exactly achieves its aim
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a small circular or oval window or opening
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a thick disc of glass set into a ship's deck, etc, to admit light
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the glass boss at the centre of a sheet of blown glass
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a small thick plano-convex lens used as a condenser
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a lamp or lantern containing such a lens
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a peppermint-flavoured, usually striped, boiled sweet
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nautical a circular or oval wooden block with a groove around it for the strop of a shroud and a hole at its centre for a line Compare deadeye
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meteorol the eye or centre of a cyclone
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of bull's-eye
First recorded in 1680–90
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.
Bill Plaschke’s column urging Angels owner Arte Moreno to sell the team hits the bull’s-eye.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
Its red bull’s-eye symbol adorns Target Field, the Target Center arena and the downtown Target Plaza complex that houses the retailer’s headquarters.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026
A furious 1987 Donald Moffett poster, dedicated to Gay Men’s Health Crisis Director Diego Lopez, juxtaposes the AIDS-indifferent Hollywood president, smirking vapidly above the phrase, “He kills me,” next to a screaming orange bull’s-eye.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2025
A column of smoke from the fire this weekend targeted New York City with bull’s-eye precision, prompting air-pollution warnings for sensitive groups.
From Slate • Nov. 12, 2024
Crisp, striking, vivid, you couldn’t miss her—a bull’s-eye in the room, a crackling flame.
From "Monday's Not Coming" by Tiffany D. Jackson
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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.