bullpen
noun
bull·pen
ˈbu̇l-ˌpen 
also ˈbəl-
variants
or less commonly bull pen
plural bullpens also bull pens
1
: a large cell where prisoners are detained until brought into court
Commonly called the "bullpen," the court lockup is behind the courtroom and is used as a holding area for prisoners …—
Bruce A. Scruton
Bruce A. Scruton2
a
: a place on a baseball field where pitchers warm up before they start pitching
In the bullpen, Goose Gossage is warming up.—Tony Scherman
Tony Scherman
b
: the relief pitchers of a baseball team
After five innings Seattle led 14-2 and, with baseball's best bullpen waiting to protect the lead should starter Aaron Sele falter …—Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated3
: an open work area not divided into offices
… an alternative to the traditional combination of private offices for the brass and bullpens for the workers.—Carl Ruff
Carl RuffExamples of bullpen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hours later, closer Jhoan Duran was sent to Philadelphia, and the very next day the front office executed seven more trades, shipping away most of the bullpen, some impending free agents and star shortstop Carlos Correa in a salary dump move.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 31 Dec. 2025
Along with adding Houser and Mahle to the rotation and Hentges and Foley to the bullpen, the Giants added a candidate for backup catcher by acquiring Daniel Susac from the Minnesota Twins.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, the Royals enhanced their bullpen by adding relievers Alex Lange, Nick Mears and Matt Strahm to an accomplished unit.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Dec. 2025
Boston’s bullpen could rank among the game’s elite.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
Immediately after the tasting, the leftover cake was put on display in the bullpen of THR’s Los Angeles office.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 2025
Now that Bell is on board, the next target for Falvey and general manager Jeremy Zoll will be rebuilding the bullpen for new manager Derek Shelton after it was torn down during the trading spree last summer.
—CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025
The Giants on Tuesday also added two rehabbing relievers who could be second-half options for the bullpen, signing former Detroit Tigers closer Jason Foley to a one-year contract and agreeing to a minor league contract with right-hander Gregory Santos.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025
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Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 31 Dec. 2025
Along with adding Houser and Mahle to the rotation and Hentges and Foley to the bullpen, the Giants added a candidate for backup catcher by acquiring Daniel Susac from the Minnesota Twins.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, the Royals enhanced their bullpen by adding relievers Alex Lange, Nick Mears and Matt Strahm to an accomplished unit.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Dec. 2025
Boston’s bullpen could rank among the game’s elite.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
Immediately after the tasting, the leftover cake was put on display in the bullpen of THR’s Los Angeles office.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 2025
Now that Bell is on board, the next target for Falvey and general manager Jeremy Zoll will be rebuilding the bullpen for new manager Derek Shelton after it was torn down during the trading spree last summer.
—CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025
The Giants on Tuesday also added two rehabbing relievers who could be second-half options for the bullpen, signing former Detroit Tigers closer Jason Foley to a one-year contract and agreeing to a minor league contract with right-hander Gregory Santos.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bullpen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bullpen. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
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