• IPA: /ˈbʊl/
• (Scotland, Northern Ireland) IPA: /bʉl/

From Middle English bole, bul, bule, from a conflation of Old English bula and Old Norse boli, both from Proto-Germanic *bulô, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰl̥no-, from *bʰel- ("to blow, swell up").

bull

1. An adult male of domesticated cattle or oxen.
   1. Specifically, one that is uncastrated.
   2. (loosely) Any bovine of an aggressive or long-horned breed regardless of age and sex.
2. A male of domesticated cattle or oxen of any age.
3. Any adult male bovine.
4. An adult male of certain large mammals, such as whales, elephants, camels and seals.
5. A large, strong man.
6. (finance) An investor who buys (commodities or securities) in anticipation of a rise in prices.
7. (US, slang) A policeman; a detective; a railroad security guard.
   • 2021, Rickie Lee Jones, Last Chance Texaco, Grive Press 2022, p. 93:

     You never waited until the train stopped to get off. The railroad bulls were waiting at the stops searching for freeloaders.

   • 1920, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood, chapter I, in The Bat: A Novel from the Play (Dell Book; 241), New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing Company, →OCLC ↗, [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hwptej;view=1up;seq=5 page 01]:

     The Bat—they called him the Bat. […]. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.

8. (LGBT, slang) An elderly lesbian.
9. (UK, historical, obsolete slang) A crown coin; its value, 5 shillings.
   • 1859, J.C. Hotten, A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words:

     Half-a-crown is known as an alderman, half a bull, half a tusheroon, and a madza caroon; whilst a crown piece, or five shillings, may be called either a bull, or a caroon, or a cartwheel, or a coachwheel, or a thick-un, or a tusheroon.

10. (UK) Clipping of bullseye
    1. (military, firearms) The central portion of a target, inside the inner and magpie.
11. (Philadelphia, slang) A man or boy (derived from the Philadelphia English pronunciation of “boy”, which is practically a homophone of “bull”)
12. (uncountable, informal, euphemistic, slang) Clipping of bullshit
13. A man who has sex with someone else's partner, with the consent of both.

    Coordinate terms: cuckold, cuckquean, cuckcake

14. (obsolete) A drink made by pouring water into a cask that previously held liquor.
15. (slang, uncountable) Beef.
    • 1949, Stephen Peter Llewellyn, Journey Towards Christmas, page 142:

      Meanwhile the Tommies had discovered several large tins of ham in the captured lorry. 'That,' said the big Nazi, 'is for our tea.' 'No,' said a Tommy sergeant-major. 'That's for our tea. For you, chummy, we've kept a nice bit of bull.'

• gentleman cow (obsolete)
• guy, dude, bro, cat
• cop, copper, pig (derogatory), rozzer (British). See also Thesaurus:police officer

• (antonym(s) of “finance: investor who sells in anticipation of a fall in prices”): bear

• French: taureau
• German: Bulle, Stier
• Italian: toro
• Portuguese: touro, toiro
• Russian: бык
• Spanish: toro

• French: mâle
• German: Bulle, Stier
• Italian: maschio
• Portuguese: macho
• Russian: саме́ц

• German: Bulle
• Portuguese: brutamontes
• Russian: бык

• German: Bulle
• Italian: toro, rialzista
• Russian: бык

• French: vache, bœuf (Canada), chien (Canada), poulet, cogne (dated)
• German: Bulle, Bullette (rare)
• Portuguese: tira
• Russian: мент
• Spanish: poli, madero

bull (not comparable)

1. Large and strong, like a bull.

   Synonyms: beefy, hunky, robust

   Antonyms: feeble, puny, weak

2. (attributive, of large mammals) Adult male.

   Synonyms: male

   Antonyms: female

   a bull elephant

3. (finance) Of a market in which prices are rising (compare bear).

   Antonyms: bear

4. Stupid.

   Synonyms: stupid

• German: Bullen-, bullen-
• Portuguese: grande

• French: mâle
• German: -bulle
• Italian: maschio
• Portuguese: macho

bull (bulls, present participle bulling; simple past and past participle bulled)

1. (intransitive, often with into or through) To force oneself (in a particular direction); to move aggressively.

   He bulled his way in.

2. (agriculture, intransitive, of a cow or heifer) To be in heat; to be ready for mating with a bull.
3. (agriculture, transitive, of a bull) To mate with (a cow or heifer).
4. (finance, transitive) To endeavour to raise the market price of.

   to bull railroad bonds

5. (finance, transitive) To endeavour to raise prices in.

   to bull the market

• Portuguese: forçar

• Spanish: mamar (slang)

From Middle English bulle, from Old French bulle, from Latin bulla, from Gaulish -.

bull (plural bulls)

1. A papal bull, an official document or edict from the Pope.
2. A seal affixed to a document, especially a document from the Pope.

• French: bulle
• German: Bulle
• Italian: bolla
• Portuguese: bula
• Russian: бу́лла
• Spanish: bula

• French: sceau
• German: Bulle
• Italian: sigillo
• Portuguese: selo

bull (bulls, present participle bulling; simple past and past participle bulled)

1. (dated, 17th century) to publish in a Papal bull

From Middle English bull, bul, boule, probably from Old French boul, boule, bole, from Old French bouler, boler, from Middle Low German bôlen, related to German buhlen, English bully.

bull (uncountable)

1. A lie.
2. (euphemistic, informal) Nonsense.

• (nonsense) See also Thesaurus:nonsense

• French: bêtises
• Portuguese: papo-furado, conversa fiada, besteira
• Spanish: bulo

bull (bulls, present participle bulling; simple past and past participle bulled)

1. To mock; to cheat.
2. (intransitive) To lie, to tell untruths.
3. (UK, military) To polish boots to a high shine.

From Middle English bowle, boule, from Old French boule, from Latin bulla, of Gaulish - origin.

bull (plural bulls)

1. (obsolete) A bubble. [16th century]

1. Surname derived from the name of the animal.