bull's-eye

[boo lz-ahy]

noun, plural bull's-eyes.

the circular spot, usually black or outlined in black, at the center of a target marked with concentric circles and used in target practice.

a shot that hits this.

the center or central area of a military target, as of a town or factory, in a bombing raid.

a missile that strikes the central area of a target.

the coordinates or instance of aiming and firing a missile that results in its hitting the center of a target.

Informal.

any statement or act that is precisely to the point or achieves a desired result directly.
something that is decisive or crucial; crux.

a small circular opening or window.

a thick disk or lenslike piece of glass inserted in a roof, ship's deck, etc., to admit light.

Optics. a lens of short focal length.

a lantern equipped with a lens of this sort.

Nautical. an oval or circular wooden block having a groove around it and a hole in the center, through which to reeve a rope.

Meteorology. (formerly) the eye of a storm.

a large, round piece of peppermint-flavored hard candy.

Nearby words

Origin of bull's-eye

First recorded in 1680–90

Related formsbull's-eyed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bullseye

This time a bullseye from a distance made clean, easy, and effective.
America’s Troubled Drone Policy: Let the Debate Finally Begin|John Kael Weston|February 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The bullseye was the silhouette, life size, of a man lying prone and firing at me.
At Plattsburg|Allen French
The lantern was a bullseye, and as soon as Ned turned the flashing glare on the surrounding darkness the mystery was solved.
Canoe Boys and Campfires|William Murray Graydon
"Duty compels us to test the staple;" the Officer in command decreed; and many mouths gaped round the glow of his bullseye.
Perlycross|R. D. Blackmore

A piece of a bullseye pane of aquamarine glass occurs in the Marlborough finds.
The Cultural History of Marlborough, Virginia|C. Malcolm Watkins
The room had a small door, and a single round window, like a bullseye pane of thick lens.
The World Beyond|Raymond King Cummings

British Dictionary definitions for bullseye

bull's-eye

noun

the small central disc of a target, usually the highest valued area

a shot hitting this

informal something that exactly achieves its aim

a small circular or oval window or opening

a thick disc of glass set into a ship's deck, etc, to admit light

the glass boss at the centre of a sheet of blown glass

a small thick plano-convex lens used as a condenser
a lamp or lantern containing such a lens

a peppermint-flavoured, usually striped, boiled sweet

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 lineCompare deadeye

meteorol the eye or centre of a cyclone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bullseye

bullseye

also bulls-eye, 1833, "center of a target," from bull (n.1) + eye (n.). So called for size and color. Meaning "shot that hits the mark" is from 1857.

bull's-eye

noun, plural bull's-eyes.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of bull's-eye

Examples from the Web for bullseye

bull's-eye

noun

bullseye