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:
The rapid information spread enabled by these apps allows for bullshit weather graphics, screenshots of random text threads, and A.I.-generated imagery to reach more people at a faster pace than was ever possible before.
From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2024
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
People go out of their way to tell me they think Khalil’s death is bullshit, but that Remy’s reason for protesting is bullshit too.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
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
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
“I went to classes at first and then I just started watching YouTube videos all the time, bullshitting around with message boards, the meme culture and gaming,” he says.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 16, 2017
When Stephanopoulos reminded Trump that “they’re already there,” the candidate forged ahead like a school kid bullshitting his way through an oral exam that he had not bothered to prepare for.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 3, 2016
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.
