as in bully
a person who teases, threatens, or hurts smaller, weaker, or more vulnerable persons
residents reported on some bullyboys who were causing problems at the park
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 bullyboy
Beijing’s bullyboy tactics were starting to hit uncomfortably close to home.
—
Mark L. Clifford,
WSJ,
27 Jan. 2022
Chaffetz’s shtick — bullyboy investigator targeting the right’s bogeymen — worked when Hillary Clinton and/or President Obama were his targets.
—
Jennifer Rubin,
The Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2017
Mark L. Clifford,
WSJ,
27 Jan. 2022
Chaffetz’s shtick — bullyboy investigator targeting the right’s bogeymen — worked when Hillary Clinton and/or President Obama were his targets.
—
Jennifer Rubin,
The Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bullyboy
Noun
-
Kelce played a bully of a restaurant manager who fires a busboy (played by Bad Bunny).
-
Loser goes home, just like the others bounced from this bonkers initial knockout round — dreams trounced via penalty kick or last-minute magnificence or just … a big French bully.
Noun
-
His death in an enemy attack plays into a powerful Shi'ite tradition of martyrdom and mourning, in which processions of flagellants beat their chests or backs.
-
The day for battle is near, many of our enemies are arming themselves.
Noun
-
All the while, Sarah is being hunted by corporate intimidators Dawson (Sam Worthington) and Rosetti (Willa Fitzgerald), who want to ensure her silence.
Noun
-
Alyssa Thomas' thug-like play, punching Caitlin Clark in the throat and kneeing her in the groin, is indefensible.
-
Ditto Hugh Jackman’s unerring performance — perhaps his finest dramatic work yet — as a savage, unfeeling thug and unrepentant murderer and thief.
Noun
-
Sometimes judges don’t have a full picture of the risks a victim faces, like an abuser’s access to weapons and prior threats to kill, and release men arrested on domestic violence charges quickly, with little to keep them away from the women they’re accused of hurting.
-
The third and fourth sections are, respectively, a somewhat non-traditional perpetrator and a man who seeks out his abuser many years later.
Cite this Entry
“Bullyboy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bullyboy. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
