bullshit
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
bullshits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bullshitted,
past participle, past
-
bullshit,
past participle, past
-
bullshitting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
bullshits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bullshitted,
past participle, past
-
bullshit,
past participle, past
-
bullshitting
present participle
interjection
idioms
noun
-
exaggerated or foolish talk; nonsense
-
deceitful or pretentious talk
-
Usually shortened to: bull. (in the British Army) exaggerated zeal, esp for ceremonial drill, cleaning, polishing, etc
verb
-
(intr) to talk in an exaggerated or foolish manner
-
to talk bullshit to
Usage
This word was formerly considered to be taboo, and it was labelled as such in previous editions of Collins English Dictionary . However, it has now become acceptable in speech, although some older or more conservative people may object to its use
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bullshitsimple
-
bullshitssimple
-
have bullshitperfect
-
have bullshittedperfect
-
has bullshitperfect
-
has bullshittedperfect
-
am bullshittingprogressive
-
are bullshittingprogressive
-
is bullshittingprogressive
-
have been bullshittingperfect progressive
-
has been bullshittingperfect progressive
Past
-
bullshitsimple
-
bullshittedsimple
-
had bullshitperfect
-
had bullshittedperfect
-
was bullshittingprogressive
-
were bullshittingprogressive
-
had been bullshittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bullshit
First recorded in 1910–15; bull 1 (perhaps reinforced by bull 2 ) + shit
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.
See Examples For:
“We talked about our parties in self-deprecating ways. I thought, If we call out the bullshit of everybody on everybody’s side and have a real conversation, this could be interesting,” she said.
From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2026
He'd flash his "what are you going to do about it" smirk and start droning some glib bullshit in the lawyerly tone he uses to make all his bananas beliefs sound authoritative.
From Salon ● Dec. 29, 2023
I teach a class on bullshit — an act, often with full confidence, intended to persuade, with no allegiance to truth.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
Inscryption cuts out most of the bullshit that comes with traditional deckbuilding games and allows me to get to the good stuff: building a deck so overpowered that I feel like a god.
From The Verge ● Nov. 2, 2021
I've always been in it for the science, not for any New World Order bullshit.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
The coin of the realm on such shows is small-talk riffing and discursive, big-ideas bullshitting, and he excelled at neither.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2025
What follows is scientific bullshitting where someone picks one or two papers out of 10,000, and hopes that you go away thinking Covid is just a common cold or whatever.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 1, 2020
As indicated above, ordinary lying involves intentional false claims about the world, while bullshitting involves intentionally false claims and representations about the bullshitter themselves.
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2019
The voice of the show is familiar, from barbershop persiflage, stoop-sitting smack talk, and barstool bullshitting.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 22, 2019
Second floor was nothing but a hallway where humans were talking and bullshitting.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
