bully 1 of 3

bully

2 of 3

noun

bully

3 of 3

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bully different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of bully are browbeat, bulldoze, cow, and intimidate. While all these words mean "to frighten into submission," bully implies intimidation through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior.

bullied into giving up their lunch money

When could browbeat be used to replace bully?

While the synonyms browbeat and bully are close in meaning, browbeat implies a cowing through arrogant, scornful, or contemptuous treatment.

browbeat the witness into a contradiction

In what contexts can bulldoze take the place of bully?

In some situations, the words bulldoze and bully are roughly equivalent. However, bulldoze implies an intimidating or an overcoming of resistance usually by urgings, demands, or threats.

bulldozed the city council into approving the plan

When might cow be a better fit than bully?

The synonyms cow and bully are sometimes interchangeable, but cow implies reduction to a state where the spirit is broken or all courage is lost.

not at all cowed by the odds against making it in show business

When is it sensible to use intimidate instead of bully?

The words intimidate and bully can be used in similar contexts, but intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another.

intimidated by so many other bright freshmen

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 bully
Noun
The Sooners presented a blueprint to slow the Big Ten bully. Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025 No one likes a bully, Ronny said. Bryan Washington, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
Newsrooms — like many other companies, amid a tight labor market and booming economy — responded with intense sympathy for junior employees who felt mistreated by managers and bullied by untouchable stars. Max Tani, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2025 Jordan Love and the offense scored on their first three possessions, and from there the Packers bullied a Lions team that won 14 games and earned the NFC’s top seed last year. Zak Keefer, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bully
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bully
Adjective
  • Another great addition is live captions and translation.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Praise feels great, ridicule or people not liking it doesn't.
    Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 18 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
  • We’re then introduced to Louie, a thug who works for a loan shark, threatening and killing people.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Their neighbor, an older Jewish woman, gets arrested and Nazi thugs brazenly loot her apartment.
    Rabih Alameddine September 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • More importantly, Penske also describes this dynamic as antitrust behavior from a company abusing what the federal government has already described as Google’s monopoly status in the realm of Internet search.
    Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The biggest Flock controversy centers on allegations that law enforcement has abused the company’s surveillance network to target women, immigrants, and people engaging in legal activity outside their home states.
    Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Trump administration members are going in a different direction, pressing for investigations of left-leaning groups that appear designed to intimidate, if not prosecute.
    David Weigel, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Dealing with debt collectors is a high-stress and intimidating experience.
    True Tamplin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • As always, the iPhone takes terrific photos.
    Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Now the Phils are desperate to keep the affable and articulate Ohio native, who has cultivated a reputation as a clubhouse leader and terrific teammate.
    Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • These vessels can blend into the ocean’s background noise and deploy advanced drones designed to confuse and distract enemy tracking systems.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 14 Sep. 2025
  • At first, drones were used to scout and drop makeshift bombs onto enemy troops’ heads.
    Joseph Nepomuceno, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Because the traits that make someone a hero in a story can easily lend themselves to being painted as a villain, too.
    Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin play estranged old friends who reconnect at the funeral of a mutual friend, only to realize that their friend's dead husband was really the villain in all their lives.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bully. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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