Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈbʊli/
bully
- A person who is intentionally physically or emotionally cruel to others, especially to those who are weaker or have less power. [from late 17th c.]
- A playground bully pushed a girl off the swing.
- I noticed you being a bully towards people with disabilities.
- A noisy, blustering fellow, more insolent than courageous; one who is threatening and quarrelsome; an insolent, tyrannical fellow.
- A hired thug.
- 1849, John McLean, Notes of a Twenty-Five Years' Service in the Hudson's Bay Territory ↗, pp. 42-3 ↗:
- Mr. Fisher returned from town... he had learnt that our opponents intended to shift the scene of operations to the Chats... We understood that they had hired two bullies for the purpose of deciding the matter par voie de fait. Mr Fisher hired two of the same description, who were supposed to be more than a match for the opposition party.
- Synonyms: henchman, thug
- 1849, John McLean, Notes of a Twenty-Five Years' Service in the Hudson's Bay Territory ↗, pp. 42-3 ↗:
- A sex worker’s minder.
- Synonyms: pimp, Thesaurus:pimp
- 2009, Dan Cruikshank, Secret History of Georgian London, Random House, p. 473:
- The Proclamation Society and the Society for the Suppression of Vice were more concerned with obscene literature […] than with hands-on street battles with prostitutes and their bullies […].
- (uncountable) Bully beef.
- (obsolete) A brisk, dashing fellow.
- The small scrum in the Eton College field game.
- Various small freshwater or brackishwater fish of the family Eleotridae; sleeper goby.
- (obsolete or dialectal, Irish and Northern England) An (eldest) brother; a fellow workman; comrade
- (dialectal) A companion; mate i male or female.
- Synonyms: Thesaurus:friend
- (obsolete) A darling, sweetheart i male or female.
- Synonyms: Thesaurus:sweetheart
- (field hockey) A standoff between two players from the opposing teams, who repeatedly hit each other's hockey sticks and then attempt to acquire the ball, as a method of resuming the game in certain circumstances.
- (mining) A miner's hammer.
- French: brimeur, brute, tyran
- German: Rabauke, Bully, Tyrann, Schikaneur
- Italian: bullo, spaccone, smargiasso, prepotente, arrogante
- Portuguese: rufião, valentão
- Russian: зади́ра
- Spanish: bravucón, abusón, matón, abusador, peleón, pendenciero, perdonavidas, matasiete
- Spanish: matón, sicario
bully
- (transitive) To intimidate (someone) as a bully.
- Synonyms: Thesaurus:intimidate
- You shouldn't bully people for being gay.
- (transitive) To act aggressively towards.
- Synonyms: push around, ride roughshod over
- French: intimider
- German: einschüchtern, schikanieren, kujonieren
- Portuguese: intimidar, bulir, oprimir
- Russian: запу́гивать
- Spanish: intimidar, chulear, acosar, hacer bullying
- French: tourmenter, terroriser, maltraiter, tyranniser, harceler
- German: tyrannisieren, drangsalieren, kujonieren
- Portuguese: atormentar, aterrorizar, maltratar, tiranizar, oprimir
- Russian: тиранизи́ровать
- Spanish: tiranizar, acosar
bully (comparative bullier, superlative bulliest)
- (US, slang) Very good.
- Synonyms: excellent, Thesaurus:excellent
- a bully horse
- (slang) Jovial and blustering.
- Synonyms: dashing
- 1597, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor Act II, scene iii:
- quote en
- (often, followed by for) Well done!
- Synonyms: Thesaurus:well done
- Bully, she's finally asked for that promotion!
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