bully
1 Americannoun
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bullies
plural
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a blustering, mean, or predatory person who, from a perceived position of relative power, intimidates, abuses, harasses, or coerces people, especially those considered unlikely to defend themselves.
playground bullies targeting children with disabilities;
a workplace bully who cuts me off when I speak.
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Archaic. a man hired to do violence.
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Obsolete. a pimp; procurer.
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Obsolete. a good friend; good fellow.
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Obsolete. a sweetheart; darling.
verb (used with object)
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bullies,
present (3rd person singular)
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bullied,
past participle, past
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bullying
present participle
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to intimidate, abuse, or harass, especially habitually.
The boy next door constantly bullies the younger children in the neighborhood.
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to coerce or compel by harassment or intimidation.
The salesman bullied me into upgrading the car's paint protection and rust-proofing.
verb (used without object)
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bullies,
present (3rd person singular)
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bullied,
past participle, past
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bullying
present participle
adjective
interjection
adjective
noun
noun
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bullies
plural
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Soccer. a desperate, freewheeling scramble for the ball by a number of players, usually in the goal area.
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Field Hockey. a method of putting the ball into play in which two opponents, facing each other, tap their sticks on the ground near the ball and then make contact with each other's sticks over the ball three times, after which each tries to gain possession of the ball.
noun
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a person who hurts, persecutes, or intimidates weaker people
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archaic a hired ruffian
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obsolete a procurer; pimp
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obsolete a fine fellow or friend
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obsolete a sweetheart; darling
verb
adjective
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dashing; jolly
my bully boy
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informal very good; fine
interjection
noun
Usage
What does bully mean? A bully is a person who harasses, abuses, intimidates, or coerces people, especially those with less power than they have or those considered weaker or vulnerable in some way. The word often implies that such behavior is repeated or habitual. Bully can also be a verb meaning to treat people in this way (to act as a bully toward them), as in The man who used to bully his classmates in school is now teaching children how not to bully others. Someone who is treated in this way is said to be bullied. The act of treating people in this way is called bullying. Bullies are primarily associated with school settings involving kids, but adults can be considered bullies as well. The most familiar form of a bully depicted in popular culture is the neighborhood or schoolyard bully, usually a physically strong or large child or teenager who uses their size to bully smaller, younger, or more timid kids. Famous fictional bullies that fit this profile include Biff Tannen from Back to the Future and Nelson Muntz from The Simpsons. However, the understanding of what constitutes bullying has evolved and broadened to encompass behavior that involves not just physical but emotional abuse and manipulation. Many studies have shown that bullying has long-lasting emotional and psychological effects, and many organized efforts and campaigns are devoted to preventing bullying in schools and elsewhere. The word cyberbully is used as a noun and a verb in the context of bullying that happens online. Bully can also be used a bit more generally to mean to force or coerce someone into doing something, as in The trainer bullied me into signing up for an expensive gym membership. An entirely different (and much less common) use of bully is as an adjective to describe something as great or excellent, as in What a bully day! It’s also used as an interjection meaning “Great!” or “Well done!” as in Bully for you: you got all A’s on your report card! These uses of the word are now typically considered old-fashioned. Example: Our school has a zero tolerance policy for bullying—bullies are immediately suspended.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bullysimple
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bulliessimple
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have bulliedperfect
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has bulliedperfect
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am bullyingprogressive
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are bullyingprogressive
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is bullyingprogressive
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have been bullyingperfect progressive
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has been bullyingperfect progressive
Past
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bulliedsimple
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had bulliedperfect
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was bullyingprogressive
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were bullyingprogressive
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had been bullyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bully1
First recorded in 1530–40; from Middle Dutch boele “lover”
Origin of bully2
First recorded in 1880–85; bull(dog) ( def. ) + -y 1 ( def. )
Origin of bully3
First recorded in 1750–55; from French bouilli, short for boeuf bouilli “boiled meat”; see origin at boil 1, beef
Origin of bully4
First recorded in 1860–65; of obscure origin
Explanation
You might still have terrifying dreams about the bully who harassed you on the playground in second grade. A bully is someone who intimidates people, usually those who are weaker or smaller. The classic example of a bully is a mean kid in a schoolyard who hassles or beats up younger students. While a child or a teenager can be a bully, so is anyone who uses power or strength to scare or harm other people. The word bully has gone through a mysterious evolution, from the 1530s when it meant "sweetheart," through the 17th century's meanings of "fine fellow," then "blusterer," and finally "harasser of the weak."
Vocabulary lists containing bully
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 1
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Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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History is made in PA: Clinton's DNC Acceptance Speech
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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:
To illustrate conduct UC can regulate, Slaughter cited the example of a bully calling a boy “little princess” or “baby girl.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Last year, a beauty pageant contestant was commended for standing up to a group of men who tried to bully her and other contestants over the skirts and western dresses they were wearing.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
“You can’t love God and abuse the immigrant. You can’t love God and bully the outcast. You can’t love God and oppress the poor.”
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
“I did not intimidate, threaten, or bully Sandy into making any statements,” she wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Are there bully fish that take advantage, and weaker fish that keep losing out?
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
Sutton said his old club have been "flat-track bullies" by "beating the teams you expect them to beat", but the collapse in Austria, plus Sunday's bruising loss, has highlighted glaring deficiencies.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“It is infectious to play a character who sees the best in people and isn’t mad at the world for all its foibles and bullies and shadows,” Sudeikis recently told the Hollywood Reporter.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Many are borrowed from other thinkers—Stephen Covey on time management, Bob Sutton on shutting down bullies, Amy Edmondson on psychological safety—but all are practical.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
A friend of the 15-year-old suspect, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, described the boy as uptight, who got into fights with his bullies because he refused to let insults pass.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
And you don’t like bigots, bullies, snobs or hypocrites.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
“I wouldn’t be bullied by him,” Farage says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
In Mr. Harris’s telling, long before Augustus came to rule vast swaths of the earth, he was a sickly boy named Octavius, bullied by schoolmates until the far-stronger Agrippa became his protector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
We only know them through the prism of men: Jane lusts after Yoga Dude, Coco rages at Roger, Sophie is bullied by her boss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Officials said earlier he faced academic-related stress and a classmate said he was bullied.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
I knew he was bullied a lot, and I knew his adoptive parents weren’t exactly stellar citizens.”
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
The family also addressed “disturbing” social media posts targeting the blogger for his past behavior bullying celebrities through his coverage, and reminded the public that Hilton’s three children came close to losing their father.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
"Whether it was same-sex families or just different types of families, things about bravery, courage, bullying, things about different identities."
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
There was also little evidence of phone bans’ impact on school attendance, chronic absenteeism and online bullying.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
She wrote a number of books, including ones about her life on tour, cookbooks and children’s books about her life and about the dangers of bullying.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
“As you know, Dr. Majidi, we at the Granger School have no tolerance for bullying of any kind,” Headmaster Clarkson said.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
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.
