bullying

American  

[bool-ee-ing] / ˈbʊl i ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of harassing, intimidating, or abusing others, especially habitually or from a perceived position of relative power.

   Bullying and stress can impact students' experiences at school.

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Other Word Forms

• unbullying adjective

Etymology

Origin of bullying

First recorded in 1675–85; bully ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Bullying is the act of intimidating someone else. Threatening to beat up your little brother if he doesn't clean your room for you is most certainly an act of bullying. You may have heard of the word bully, which is a person, often young, who harasses others. A schoolyard bully might call you names, steal your lunch money, and generally make your life miserable. Bullying is the act of being a bully. Believe it or not, bullying can be serious business with grave consequences. There are even laws that require schools to take action against bullying.

Example Sentences

But it found no evidence of "bullying" -- a charge that had been levelled at Harry by the organisation's chairperson, Sophie Chandauka, in March 2025.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The next day, Charlie and Emma begin discussing the circumstances that preceded her plan — depression, bullying, the black hole of the internet — before pausing for an appointment.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026

In a whistleblowing disclosure, the volunteer directors also claimed there was a "bullying culture" at Pride in London.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Meanwhile, Meta spent hours in cross examination trying to convince jurors that Kaley’s struggles were caused by other factors than social media, including a difficult family life and bullying at school.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

His size and strength—and I suppose that temper—meant no one tried actual physical bullying, but from what I remember, for a couple of months at least, these incidents kept coming.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

• imperious