bully pulpit

[ bool-ee pool-pit, puhl-pit ]

/ ˈbʊl i ˈpʊl pɪt, ˈpʌl pɪt /

Save This Word!

noun

a position of authority or public visibility, especially a political office, from which one may express one's views.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bully pulpit

First recorded in 1905–10; from a remark made by President Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the U.S. 1901–09, in reference to the White House, “I suppose my critics will call that preaching, but I have got such a bully pulpit!”

Words nearby bully pulpit

bully, bully beef, bullyboy, bullycide, bully-off, bully pulpit, bullyrag, bully tree, bulnbuln, Bülow, bulrush

How to use bully pulpit in a sentence

A Belgian church has a chalkboard sitting at the pulpit with the jungle peeking through the windows behind it.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
UNO puts such an onus on smoking students that it ultimately seems like a bully, even more than a nanny.
The University Of New Orleans’ Cigarette Ban Is Total BS|Chloé Valdary|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Reinke lost his pulpit and was drummed out of the conservative Missouri Synod of the Lutheran denomination.
The Pastor Who Scandalized His Town|Lloyd Grove|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And when we have been spared such tragedy, it has happened precisely because presidents have stood up to the bully caucus.
Please—Let's Not Destroy ISIS|Michael Tomasky|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He is also accused of using the pulpit to further a cult of personality surrounding himself.
Another Mega Church Implodes|Warren Throckmorton|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Samuel Badcock, an English divine and writer, died; admired as a pulpit orator and a man of literary talent.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
"It has been a most merciful escape," Maloney said, his pulpit voice struggling with his emotion.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
I think if you give me a full and unlimited commission to bully Giles and that little boy, Brittles, I can manage it.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3)|Charles Dickens
Both Coulter and Paxton fell upon the bully together and punished him severely.
The Mystery at Putnam Hall|Arthur M. Winfield
The pair told Ritter what they thought of him, and each declared that he was going to expose the bully to Captain Putnam.
The Mystery at Putnam Hall|Arthur M. Winfield