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bulls - 7 dictionary results

bull

1  [bool]
Use bulls in a Sentence
–noun
1. the male of a bovine animal, esp. of the genus Bos, with sexual organs intact and capable of reproduction.
2. the male of certain other animals, as the elephant and moose.
3. a large, solidly built person.
4. a person who believes that market prices, esp. of stocks, will increase (opposed to bear ).
5. (initial capital letter) Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Taurus.
6. a bulldog.
7. Slang. a police officer.
–adjective
8. male.
9. of, pertaining to, or resembling a bull, as in strength.
10. having to do with or marked by a continuous trend of rising prices, as of stocks: a bull market.
–verb (used with object)
11. Stock Exchange. to attempt to raise the price of.
12. to speculate in, in expectation of a rise in price.
13. to force; shove: to bull one's way through a crowd.
14. Nautical. to ram (a buoy).
—Idioms
15. bull in a china shop,
a. an awkward or clumsy person.
b. an inconsiderate or tactless person.
c. a troublemaker; dangerous person.
16. take the bull by the horns, to attack a difficult or risky problem fearlessly.
Origin:
1150–1200; ME bule, OE bula; akin to ON boli; see bullock

Related forms:
bull-like, adjective

bull

2  [bool]
–noun
1. a bulla or seal.
2. Roman Catholic Church. a formal papal document having a bulla attached.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME bulle < AF < ML bulla seal, sealed document; see bulla

bull

3  [bool]
–noun Slang.
1. exaggerations; lies; nonsense.
—Idiom
2. shoot the bull, to talk aimlessly: We just sat around shooting the bull.
Origin:
1620–30; < ML bulla play, game, jest, perh. special use of L bulla bubble; now generally taken as a euphemistic shortening of bullshit
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bulls
bull 1   (bŏŏl)   
n.  
    1. An adult male bovine mammal.
    2. The uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle.
    3. The male of certain other large animals, such as the alligator, elephant, or moose.
    4. An optimist, especially regarding business conditions.
    5. A person who buys commodities or securities in anticipation of a rise in prices or who tries by speculative purchases to effect such a rise.
    6. Foolish, deceitful, or boastful language.
    7. Insolent talk or behavior.
  2. An exceptionally large, strong, and aggressive person.
    1. An optimist, especially regarding business conditions.
    2. A person who buys commodities or securities in anticipation of a rise in prices or who tries by speculative purchases to effect such a rise.
    3. Foolish, deceitful, or boastful language.
    4. Insolent talk or behavior.
  4. Slang A police officer or detective.
  5. Slang
    1. Foolish, deceitful, or boastful language.
    2. Insolent talk or behavior.
v.   bulled, bull·ing, bulls

v.   tr.
To push; force.
v.   intr.
To push ahead or through forcefully: "He bulls through the press horde that encircles the car" (Scott Turow).
adj.  
  1. Male.
  2. Large and strong like a bull.
  3. Characterized by rising prices: a bull market.

[Middle English bule, from Old English bula, probably from Old Norse boli; see bhel-2 in Indo-European roots.]
bull 2   (bŏŏl)   
n.  
  1. An official document issued by the pope and sealed with a bulla.
  2. The bulla used to seal such a document.

[Middle English bulle, from Old French, from Medieval Latin bulla; see bulla.]
bull 3   (bŏŏl)   
n.  A gross blunder in logical speech or expression.

[Origin unknown.]
Bull   (bŏŏl)   
n.  See Taurus.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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