Bull
/bul/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A mature male of certain large mammals: Specifically, the adult male of cattle, but also of other animals such as elephants or whales, where the female is called a 'cow'.
- A papal edict: A formal, official public decree or charter issued by a pope, historically sealed with a leaden bulla.
- The center of a target: The central area or bullseye in archery or shooting.
- The zodiac sign Taurus: The second astrological sign in the zodiac, or a person born under this sign.
- An optimistic investor: In finance, an investor who believes market prices will rise and buys assets with the intention of selling them later at a higher price.
- (Slang) A police officer: An uncomplimentary or informal term for a policeman.
- A serious and foolish mistake: A significant blunder or error.
- (Vulgar slang) Nonsense or lies: Obscene or unacceptable talk or behavior; something considered untrue or deceptive.
- A large, strong, heavyset man: A man of powerful, muscular, and imposing physical build.
Verb:
- To advance in price: To push prices upward, especially in a financial market.
- To speak insincerely or falsely: To talk in a deceptive, boastful, or nonsensical manner.
- To speculate for a price rise: To try to raise the price of stocks through speculative buying.
- To push or force aggressively: To move forward or impose one's will in a forceful, determined manner.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- The farmer keeps a prize bull for breeding.
- The Pope issued a papal bull.
- Her final arrow hit the bull.
- He is a typical Bull, very stubborn and reliable.
- As a bull, he invested heavily before the market rally.
- The suspect was arrested by the bulls.
- Sending the email to the wrong client was a real bull of a mistake.
- Don't listen to him; he's talking bull.
- The bouncer was a bull of a man.
Verb:
- Traders tried to bull the market.
- He tends to bull when he's nervous, making up stories.
- The company bulled its stock price with optimistic reports.
- He bulled his way through the crowd.
Advanced Usage
"a bull in a china shop": A person who is very clumsy or careless in a delicate situation.
- He was like a bull in a china shop at the art gallery, almost knocking over a sculpture.
"to take the bull by the horns": To face a difficult or dangerous situation directly and with courage.
- She decided to take the bull by the horns and confront her manager about the unfair workload.
Variants and Related Words
- Bully (noun/verb): A person who uses strength or power to harm or intimidate those who are weaker; to act in such a manner.
- The school has a strict policy against bullies.
- Bullish (adjective): Characterized by rising prices in a financial market (e.g., a trend); or, feeling confident and optimistic.
- Investors are bullish about the tech sector's future.
- Bulldoze (verb): To clear, demolish, or flatten with a bulldozer; to force or intimidate.
- They plan to bulldoze the old building.
- Bulldog (noun): A breed of dog known for its sturdy build and tenacity.
Synonyms
- Noun (animal): Male bovine, sire.
- Noun (investor): Optimist (in market context).
- Noun (nonsense): Baloney, rubbish, hogwash.
- Verb (force): Shove, muscle, thrust.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Bull through: To force one's way through something with determination or aggression.
- Despite the opposition, the CEO bulled through the new policy.
Related Idioms
- Like a red rag to a bull: Something that is certain to provoke a strong, angry reaction.
- Criticizing his work is like a red rag to a bull.
- Bull session: An informal group discussion.
- We had a long bull session about politics last night.
Noun
- mature male of various mammals of which the female is called `cow'; e.g. whales or elephants or especially cattle
- a formal proclamation issued by the pope (usually written in antiquated characters and sealed with a leaden bulla)
- the center of a target
- the second sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about April 20 to May 20
- (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Taurus
- an investor with an optimistic market outlook; an investor who expects prices to rise and so buys now for resale later
- uncomplimentary terms for a policeman
- a serious and ludicrous blunder
- he made a bad bull of the assignment
- obscene words for unacceptable behavior
- I put up with a lot of bullshit from that jerk
- what he said was mostly bull
- a large and strong and heavyset man
- he was a bull of a man
- a thick-skinned bruiser ready to give as good as he got
- uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
Verb
- advance in price
- stocks were bulling
- speak insincerely or without regard for facts or truths
- The politician was not well prepared for the debate and faked it
- try to raise the price of stocks through speculative buying
- push or force
- He bulled through his demands