bull

/bʊl/

/bʊl/

Other forms: bulls; bulling; bulled

A bull is a male cow. You can usually tell which animal in a pasture is a bull by its large size and horns.

A male bovine — or cow — is a bull, and so is a male whale or elephant. Fittingly, the word bull is sometimes also used for a particularly bulky, muscular man. Another informal and slightly obscene meaning is "ridiculous," or "not true," as when you tell a lie and your brother rudely replies, "Bull!" This slang meaning has its roots in the Old French bole, "deception or trick."

Definitions of bull

1. noun

   uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
   types:

   bullock

   young bull

   type of:

   Bos taurus, cattle, cows, kine, oxen

   domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
2. noun

   mature male of various mammals of which the female is called `cow'; e.g. whales or elephants or especially cattle
   type of:

   eutherian, eutherian mammal, placental, placental mammal

   mammals having a placenta; all mammals except monotremes and marsupials
3. verb

   push or force
   “He bulled through his demands”

   synonyms: bull through

   type of:

   bear on, push

   press, drive, or impel (someone) to action or completion of an action
4. noun

   a large and strong and heavyset man
   “he was a bull of a man”

   synonyms: Samson, bruiser, strapper

   type of:

   adult male, man

   an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
5. noun

   uncomplimentary terms for a policeman
   synonyms: cop, copper, fuzz, pig

   type of:

   officer, police officer, policeman

   a member of a police force
6. noun

   obscene words for unacceptable behavior
   “what he said was mostly bull”

   type of:

   buncombe, bunk, bunkum, guff, hogwash, rot

   unacceptable behavior (especially ludicrously false statements)
7. verb

   speak insincerely or without regard for facts or truths
   synonyms: fake, talk through one's hat

   type of:

   affect, dissemble, feign, pretend, sham

   make believe with the intent to deceive
8. noun

   a serious and ludicrous blunder
   “he made a bad bull of the assignment”

   type of:

   bloomer, blooper, blunder, boo-boo, botch, bungle, flub, foul-up, pratfall

   an embarrassing mistake
9. noun

   an investor with an optimistic market outlook; an investor who expects prices to rise and so buys now for resale later
   antonyms:

   bear

   an investor with a pessimistic market outlook; an investor who expects prices to fall and so sells now in order to buy later at a lower price

   type of:

   investor

   someone who commits capital in order to gain financial returns
10. verb

    try to raise the price of stocks through speculative buying
    type of:

    job, speculate

    invest at a risk
11. verb

    advance in price
    “stocks were bulling”

    type of:

    climb, go up, rise

    increase in value or to a higher point
12. noun

    the center of a target
    synonyms: bull's eye

    type of:

    center, centre, midpoint

    a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
13. noun

    a formal proclamation issued by the pope (usually written in antiquated characters and sealed with a leaden bulla)
    synonyms: papal bull

    type of:

    decree, edict, fiat, order, rescript

    a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge)