bully

1 of 4

noun (1)

bul·​ly ˈbu̇-lē How to pronounce bully (audio)
ˈbə-
plural bullies
1
a
: a blustering, browbeating person
especially : one who is habitually cruel, insulting, or threatening to others who are weaker, smaller, or in some way vulnerable
tormented by the neighborhood bully
b
: pimp
2
: a hired ruffian
3
archaic
b
: a fine chap

bully

2 of 4

verb

bullied; bullying

transitive verb

1
: to treat (someone) in a cruel, insulting, threatening, or aggressive fashion : to act like a bully toward
bullied her younger brother
2
: to cause (someone) to do something by means of force or coercion
was bullied into accepting their offer

intransitive verb

: to use language or behavior that is cruel, insulting, threatening, or aggressive

bully

3 of 4

adjective

1
: excellent
often used in interjectional expressions
bully for you
2
: resembling or characteristic of a bully
his bully tricks

bully

4 of 4

noun (2)

food : pickled or canned usually corned beef

Did you know?

Bully Wasn't Always Negative

The earliest meaning of English bully was “sweetheart.” The word was probably borrowed from Dutch boel, “lover.” Later bully was used for anyone who seemed a good fellow, then for a blustering daredevil. Today, a bully is usually one whose claims to strength and courage are based on the intimidation of those who are weaker.

Choose the Right Synonym for bully

intimidate, cow, bulldoze, bully, browbeat mean to frighten into submission.

intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another.

intimidated by so many other bright freshmen

cow implies reduction to a state where the spirit is broken or all courage is lost.

not at all cowed by the odds against making it in show business

bulldoze implies an intimidating or an overcoming of resistance usually by urgings, demands, or threats.

bulldozed the city council into approving the plan

bully implies intimidation through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior.

bullied into giving up their lunch money

browbeat implies a cowing through arrogant, scornful, or contemptuous treatment.

browbeat the witness into a contradiction

Examples of bully in a Sentence

Verb He bullied his younger brothers. the kindergarten teacher explained why it was wrong to bully classmates Adjective that's a bully idea for reviving the town's retail center
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
And nearly all of them run afoul at some point of Rupert (Harry Gilby), the cruel bully whose viral video got the newcomers admitted to St. Gilbert’s in the first place. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2024 Her comments raised a red flag for Sydney, who took her concerns to Joey and accused Maria of being a bully, which caused the conflict to spiral even further out of control. EW.com, 20 Feb. 2024 Some flatter, bully and blackmail girls and their parents to get racier and racier images. Michael H. Keller, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024 Nicholson, giving an astonishing performance, displays a gorgeous ease onstage, and is able to play Damon as both the supportive lover and the pleading bully, sometimes in the same moment, his arms around Nina’s waist. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2024 The bullies are spreading a culture that’s intolerant of food intolerance. Betsy Andrews, Saveur, 14 Feb. 2024 Odunze has the size and weight to bully opposing DBs, giving him the skill set to slide into the role that Tee Higgins could leave almost instantly. Jon Hoefling, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024 Phil is rude, disrespectful, stunningly immature, a bully, toxic and passive-aggressive. Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024 In some ways, the Brittany Mahomes trolls remind me of what similar bullies said about Amber Heard during the Johnny Depp defamation trial. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 11 Feb. 2024
Verb
The horror classic, based on the 1974 Stephen King book of the same name, starred Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, an awkward teenager with telekinetic powers who’s mercilessly bullied by her classmates, led by nasty ringleader Chris (Nancy Allen). Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 The sophomore's grandmother and guardian, Sue Benedict, has said that Nex was being bullied before the altercation, and has criticized administrators at Owasso High School for not summoning police or an ambulance immediately after. Molly Hennessy-Fiske The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2024 The sophomore’s grandmother and guardian, Sue Benedict, has said that Nex was being bullied before the altercation, and has criticized administrators at Owasso High School for not summoning police or an ambulance immediately after. Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 Friends said Benedict, who used they/them pronouns, was bullied over their gender identity, which was different from their gender assigned at birth. USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024 Relatives of the 10th-grader said Benedict had been bullied over his gender identity. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024 Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old non-binary student, attended Owasso High School in Oklahoma, where instead of being received by a safe and welcoming community, their family says they were relentlessly bullied for months over their gender identity. Danielle Marie Holland, Parents, 28 Feb. 2024 His mother, Sue Benedict, has said that Nex, who used he/him and they/them pronouns, was bullied due to his gender identity. Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024 In addition to the social stigma — being considered heavy is one of the most common reasons that kids are bullied at school — carrying around extra weight can lead to present and future health problems. Andrea Kane, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1), Verb, and Adjective

probably from Middle Dutch boele lover; akin to Middle Low German bōle lover, Middle High German buole

Noun (2)

probably modification of French (bœuf) boulli boiled beef

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1548, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Verb

1685, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1753, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bully was circa 1548

Dictionary Entries Near bully

Cite this Entry

“Bully.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bully. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bully

1 of 2 noun
bul·​ly ˈbu̇l-ē How to pronounce bully (audio)
plural bullies
: a person who purposely hurts, intimidates, threatens, or ridicules another usually more vulnerable person especially repeatedly

bully

2 of 2 verb
bullied; bullying
: to act like a bully toward

More from Merriam-Webster on bully

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!