bull
bull [bull bulls bulled bulling] BrE [bʊl] NAmE [bʊl] noun
1. countable the male of any animal in the cow family
•a bull neck (= a short thick neck like a bull's )
compare ↑bullock, ↑cow, ↑ox, ↑steer
2. countable the male of the ↑elephant, ↑whale and some other large animals
compare ↑cow
3. countable (finance)a person who buys shares in a company, hoping to sell them soon afterwards at a higher price
compare ↑bear
4. countable an official order or statement from the Pope (= the head of the Roman Catholic Church)
•a papal bull
5. uncountable (slang) = ↑bullshit
•That's a load of bull!
6. countable = ↑bullseye
see also ↑cock and bull story
more at a red rag to a bull at ↑red adj., shoot the bull at ↑shoot v.
Idioms: ↑bull in a china shop ▪ ↑take the bull by the horns
Word Origin:
senses 1 to 3 and sense 6 late Old English bula Old Norse boli ↑bullocksense 4 Middle English Old French bulle Latin bulla ‘bubble, rounded object’ medieval Latin ‘seal ’ ‘ sealed document’
Example Bank:
•If you want to believe all that bull it's up to you.
•That's just bull and you know it.
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