bull's-eye

noun

ˈbu̇lz-ˌī How to pronounce bull's-eye (audio)
 also  ˈbəlz-
variants or bullseye
plural bull's-eyes or bullseyes
1
: a very hard globular candy
2
: a circular piece of glass especially with a lump in the middle
3
a
: the center of a target
also : something central or crucial
b
: a shot that hits the bull's-eye
broadly : something that precisely attains a desired end
4
: a simple lens of short focal distance
also : a lantern with such a lens

Examples of bull's-eye in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Cities in the bull's-eye of these severe storms will be San Antonio, Austin, San Angelo and north to Abilene. Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2024 And yesterday President Trump put a bull's-eye on that mission. IEEE Spectrum, 17 Mar. 2017 On Friday, severe weather is forecast from Mississippi to North Carolina with the bull's-eye for damaging winds in northern Mississippi, from Jackson to Tupelo. Max Golembo, ABC News, 12 Jan. 2024 The National Weather Service issued its second-highest flood threat forecast for Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, which are the bull's-eye of the storm. Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 20 Dec. 2023 Rainbow bull's-eyes float in our cups like latte ferns. Meredi Ortega, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023 Dobbins put a bull's-eye on himself with his complaints about not getting the ball at the goal line in the Ravens’ playoff loss to the Bengals and with his absence at the start of camp. Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2023 Never before has one of the world’s largest nuclear facilities fallen into the bull's-eye of a large-scale war. Jeffrey Gettleman Finbarr O’Reilly, New York Times, 3 July 2023 Bold-pattern toys, like books, balls, rattles with black-and-white stripes, bull's-eyes, or checkerboard, can also grab your baby's attention and help boost their developing vision. Parents Editors, Parents, 22 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bull's-eye.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bull's-eye was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near bull's-eye

Cite this Entry

“Bull's-eye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bull%27s-eye. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bull's-eye

noun
ˈbu̇l-ˌzī
1
: a round hard candy
2
a
: the center of a target
b
: a shot that hits the center of a target

More from Merriam-Webster on bull's-eye

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