Bull — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective verb abbreviation /ˈbu̇l/

Meaning & Definition of Bull

Bull (noun)

  1. a male bovine; especially, an adult uncastrated male domestic bovine
  2. a usually adult male of various large animals (such as elephants, whales, or seals)
  3. one who buys securities or commodities in expectation of a price rise or who acts to effect such a rise
  4. a solemn papal letter sealed with a bulla or with a red-ink imprint of the device on the bulla
  5. edict, decree
  6. a grotesque blunder in language
  7. empty boastful talk
  8. nonsense

Bull (adjective)

  1. of or relating to a bull
  2. male
  3. suggestive of a bull

Bull (verb)

  1. to advance forcefully
  2. to act on with violence
  3. force
  4. to fool especially by fast boastful talk
  5. to engage in idle and boastful talk

Bull (abbreviation)

  1. bulletin

Bull (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an order publicly issued by an authority

    "the head office issued a bull banning the use of alcohol at all on-site social functions"

    similar: decree, diktat, directive, edict, fiat, rescript, ruling, ukase
    related: call, conclusion, decision, deliverance, determination, diagnosis, judgment, opinion, resolution, verdict, announcement, declaration, dictum, manifesto, proclamation, pronouncement, canon, encyclical

  2. a member of a force charged with law enforcement at the local level

    "the town's drug dealers and bulls were well acquainted with one another"

    similar: bobby (British), constable (chiefly British), cop, copper, flatfoot (slang), fuzz, gendarme, lawman, officer, police officer, policeman, shamus (slang)
    related: patrolman, policewoman, detective, dick, gumshoe, hawkshaw, inspector, investigator, plainclothesman, sherlock, sleuth, sleuthhound, marshal, sheriff, trooper, peace officer, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, constabulary, heat (slang), man, police, police force, operative, private detective, private eye, private investigator
    near: civilian

  3. boastful speech or writing

    "an interview filled with the usual bull about how seriously she takes the art of acting"

    similar: bluster, bombast, brag, braggadocio, cockalorum, fanfaronade, gas, gasconade, grandiloquence, hot air, magniloquence, rant, rodomontade
    related: oratory, rhapsody, rhetoric, pomposity, turgidity, wind, bloviation, verbosity, windiness, babble, blab, chatter, drivel, gabble, gibber, gibberish, jabber, prattle, jawing, patter, prating, yammering, egotism, self-conceit, self-importance, swagger, vaunt

  4. language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense

    "a guy who's always trying to sell some sucker a line of bull"

    similar: applesauce (slang), balderdash, baloney, beans, bilge, blah, blarney, blather, blatherskite, blither, bosh, bunk, bunkum, claptrap, codswallop (British), crapola (slang), crock, drivel, drool, fiddle, fiddle-faddle, fiddlesticks, flannel (British), flapdoodle, folderol, folly, foolishness, fudge, garbage, guff, hogwash, hokeypokey, hokum, hoodoo, hooey, horsefeathers (slang), humbug, humbuggery, jazz, malarkey, moonshine, muck, nerts (slang), nonsense, nuts, piffle, poppycock, punk, rot, rubbish, senselessness, silliness, slush, stupidity, taradiddle, tommyrot, tosh, trash, trumpery, twaddle
    related: absurdity, asininity, fatuity, foolery, idiocy, imbecility, inaneness, inanity, insanity, kookiness, lunacy, absurdness, craziness, madness, witlessness, hoity-toity, monkey business, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s), tomfoolery, gas, hot air, rigmarole, double-talk, greek, hocus-pocus
    near: levelheadedness, rationality, reasonability, reasonableness, sensibleness, common sense, horse sense, sense, discernment, judgment, wisdom

Bull (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to force one's way

    "the beleaguered governor bulled through the crowd of reporters without answering a single question"

    similar: bore, bulldoze, crash, elbow, jam, jostle, muscle, press, push, shoulder, squeeze
    related: ram, shove, thrust

  2. to praise or express pride in one's own possessions, qualities, or accomplishments often to excess

    "no one bought all his bulling about how he had beaten the stock market"

    similar: blow, boast, brag, crow, gasconade, swagger, vapor, vaunt, blow smoke
    related: bluster, harangue, puff, pride, gush, exult, glory, rejoice, brandish, display, exhibit, expose, flaunt, glorify, parade, show off, magnify, maximize
    near: belittle, deprecate, diminish, discount, laugh off, minimize, play down, pooh-pooh, shrug off, underrate, undervalue, bemoan, lament, mourn, regret

Related Entry: Bull's-eye (noun)

Bull's-eye is a different word from Bull. The synonyms below are for bull's-eye, not for bull.

  1. the central part or aspect of something under consideration

    "you hit the bull's-eye when you noted that the real issue here is money"

    similar: bottom line, centerpiece, core, crux, essence, gist, heart, kernel, keynote, meat, meat and potatoes, net, nub, nubbin, nucleus, pith, pivot, point, root, sum, sum and substance, the long and short
    related: course, direction, drift, tenor, body, content, substance, hypothesis, proposition, purport, subject, theme, thesis

Related Entry: Bull market (noun)

Bull market is a different word from Bull. The synonyms below are for bull market, not for bull.

  1. as in bear market

    similar: bear market, call, demand, market, request, buyer's market, seller's market

Related Entry: Bull markets (noun)

Bull markets is a different word from Bull. The synonyms below are for bull markets, not for bull.

  1. as in bear markets

    similar: bear markets, calls, demands, markets, requests, buyer's markets, seller's markets

Related Entry: Bull pen (noun)

Bull pen is a different word from Bull. The synonyms below are for bull pen, not for bull.

  1. as in cell, hole

    similar: cage, cell, hole, tank, bastille, big house (slang), bridewell, brig, calaboose, can, clink (slang), cooler, coop, guardroom, hock, hold, hoosegow, jail, jailhouse, joint (slang), jug, lockup, nick (British slang), pen, penitentiary, pokey (slang), prison, quod (British slang), slam, slammer, stir (slang), stockade, tolbooth (Scottish), block, ward, glasshouse (British), guardhouse, hulk(s), concentration camp, gulag, labor camp, prison camp, stalag, work camp, dungeon, keep, oubliette, reformatory, reform school, training school
    opposite: outside

Related Entry: Bull pens (noun)

Bull pens is a different word from Bull. The synonyms below are for bull pens, not for bull.

  1. as in cells, holes

    similar: cages, cells, holes, tanks, bastilles, big houses (slang), bridewells, brigs, calabooses, cans, clinks (slang), coolers, coops, guardrooms, hocks, holds, hoosegows, jailhouses, jails, joints (slang), jugs, lockups, nicks (British slang), penitentiaries, pens, pokeys (slang), prisons, quods (British slang), slammers, slams, stirs (slang), stockades, tolbooths (Scottish), blocks, wards, glasshouses (British), guardhouses, hulks, concentration camps, gulags, labor camps, prison camps, stalags, work camps, dungeons, keeps, oubliettes, reformatories, reform schools, training schools
    opposite: outsides

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Bull

The most common words with a similar meaning to Bull:

Slang: flatfoot, shamus, applesauce, crapola, horsefeathers, nerts
British: bobby, codswallop, flannel
Chiefly British: constable
decree, diktat, directive, edict, fiat, rescript, ruling, ukase, cop, copper, fuzz, gendarme, lawman, officer, police officer, policeman, bluster, bombast, brag, braggadocio, cockalorum, fanfaronade, gas, gasconade, grandiloquence, hot air, magniloquence, rant, rodomontade, balderdash, baloney, beans, bilge, blah, blarney, blather, blatherskite, blither, bosh, bunk

Related Words for Bull

call, conclusion, decision, deliverance, determination, diagnosis, judgment, opinion, resolution, verdict, announcement, declaration, dictum, manifesto, proclamation, pronouncement, canon, encyclical, patrolman, policewoman, detective, dick, gumshoe, hawkshaw, inspector, investigator, plainclothesman, sherlock, sleuth, sleuthhound

Near Antonyms of Bull

civilian, levelheadedness, rationality, reasonability, reasonableness, sensibleness, common sense, horse sense, sense, discernment, judgment, wisdom, belittle, deprecate, diminish, discount, laugh off, minimize, play down, pooh-pooh, shrug off, underrate, undervalue, bemoan, lament, mourn, regret

Word Forms of Bull

Inflections: bulled, bulling, bulls

Origin & Etymology of Bull

Middle English bule, from Old English bula; akin to Old Norse boli bull

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Bull

bull dyke, bull fiddle

Frequently Asked Questions about Bull

What does "Bull" mean?

"Bull" means a male bovine; especially, an adult uncastrated male domestic bovine. As an a noun, an adjective, a verb and an abbreviation, it is defined as: a male bovine; especially, an adult uncastrated male domestic bovine. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Bull"?

Other words for "Bull" include decree, diktat, directive, edict, fiat, rescript, ruling and ukase. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Bull" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Bull"?

There are 225 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Bull". Common alternatives include decree, diktat, directive, edict, fiat, rescript, ruling, ukase, bobby and constable.

What is a slang word for "Bull"?

Slang words for "Bull" include flatfoot, shamus, applesauce, crapola, horsefeathers and nerts.

How do you use "Bull" in a sentence?

Examples of "Bull" in a sentence: "the head office issued a bull banning the use of alcohol at all on-site social functions"; "the town's drug dealers and bulls were well acquainted with one another"; "an interview filled with the usual bull about how seriously she takes the art of acting".

Is "Bull" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Bull" can be used as a noun, an adjective, a verb and an abbreviation, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Bull"?

"Bull" is pronounced /ˈbu̇l/.

What is the origin of the word "Bull"?

"Bull" comes from Middle English bule, from Old English bula; akin to Old Norse boli bull. First known use: before 12th century.