1
as in enemies
a person who teases, threatens, or hurts smaller, weaker, or more vulnerable persons
the school has a procedure for students who want to report problems with bullies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the local loan shark and his bullies have ways of making people pay up
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in abuses
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
the kindergarten teacher explained why it was wrong to bully classmates
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intimidates
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats
the manager was fired for bullying employees
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bullies
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025
Both clips have drawn widespread praise for showing Gunner in a positive light and defying the stereotype that all XL bullies are inherently dangerous.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Drea teams up with outsider and unlikely friend, Eleanor (Hawke, the daughter of actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman), to retaliate against their bullies in 2022's witty and heartfelt Do Revenge.
—Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
The film takes its name from a story that Manfred relied on as a means of coping with childhood bullies, about a tribe of vikings who each cut off one of their arms in order to make one brother who lost his arm in battle feel less alone.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025
Melvin is tormented by a quartet of bullies and ends up falling out of a second-story window into a drum of toxic waste.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
Things take a dark turn, however, when Zoza becomes the new target of the bullies’ ire, trapping the young teen in a recurring cycle of violence.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
As the journey unfolds, the bullies are the same, the victims are new, and the shadow of the dead pupil looms over them all.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
The witness said young bullies frequently gather in the park.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
Noun
If not for university presidents, law firm managing partners, and corporate chief executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up for the first amendment?
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025
Both clips have drawn widespread praise for showing Gunner in a positive light and defying the stereotype that all XL bullies are inherently dangerous.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Drea teams up with outsider and unlikely friend, Eleanor (Hawke, the daughter of actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman), to retaliate against their bullies in 2022's witty and heartfelt Do Revenge.
—Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
The film takes its name from a story that Manfred relied on as a means of coping with childhood bullies, about a tribe of vikings who each cut off one of their arms in order to make one brother who lost his arm in battle feel less alone.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025
Melvin is tormented by a quartet of bullies and ends up falling out of a second-story window into a drum of toxic waste.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
Things take a dark turn, however, when Zoza becomes the new target of the bullies’ ire, trapping the young teen in a recurring cycle of violence.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
As the journey unfolds, the bullies are the same, the victims are new, and the shadow of the dead pupil looms over them all.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
The witness said young bullies frequently gather in the park.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bullies
Noun
-
Such enemies can have many faces, and the government has gained increasing latitude in picking them out to serve its agenda.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Instead, Cam refuses and uses a sword to slice and gut his enemies.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Their neighbor, an older Jewish woman, gets arrested and Nazi thugs brazenly loot her apartment.—
Rabih Alameddine
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
-
As night falls, armed thugs roam the streets and families pick up guns to protect themselves.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But outside of the ring, Christy hides and represses her lesbianism and winds up marrying her trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who manipulates and physically abuses her.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
All the while, Sarah is being hunted by corporate intimidators Dawson (Sam Worthington) and Rosetti (Willa Fitzgerald), who want to ensure her silence.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican running in the 2026 race for governor, said the ban showed Newsom and Democratic lawmakers care more about the safety of criminals than officers.—
Gerardo Zavala,
NPR,
20 Sep. 2025
-
The majority of people in this field did not set out to be criminals.—
Chris Wysopal,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But there’s something genuinely unsettling about watching Katherine get stalked by the bubbles from her bath or the room itself somehow teleport around the hotel; if nothing else, the suite is certainly one of the season’s more unusual villains.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Marie, Andre, Jordan, and Emma put down the supe uprising, but then psychotic fascist Homelander showed up to condemn them as villains and herald the murderous Cate and Sam as top students and potential recruits for the thoroughly corrupt Seven.—
EW Staff,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There’s also a tropical storm circulating, as if the gangsters flew in from the tropics.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Others are new, building on a genuinely fresh and funny revelation that explains not only a cold open involving yakuza gangsters half a world away in Osaka, but also why this quaint town is sitting on a stash of weaponry big enough to overthrow the governments of several small nations.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Over $200 Off NFL Sunday Ticket NFL fans can make out like bandits with the DraftKings Sportsbook welcome offer.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern were cast as the bumbling but dogged bandits, Harry and Marv, and Catherine O’Hara brought humor and compassion to the part of Kevin’s mother.—
Tim Greiving,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bullies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bullies. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share