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Definition of "bully" []

  • A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people. (noun)
  • A hired ruffian; a thug. (noun)
  • A pimp. (noun)
  • Archaic A fine person. (noun)
  • Archaic A sweetheart. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "bully" in a sentence
  • "We start with the biggest bully on the block, because everyone knows that if you stand up and take down the big _bully, others will respect you"
  • "It was on that vacation that Roosevelt coined the term "bully pulpit" and brushed aside concerns about his vacation safety so soon after his predecessor was assassinated."
  • "James Dobson has given new meaning to the term bully pulpit."