bully — A person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: A person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈbʊli/
Example Sentences
- The boss tried to bully his employees into working overtime without pay
- My little brother thinks he can bully me, but I just laugh at his tiny fists
- She refused to be bullied into silence and spoke up about the harassment
bully
NOUN[/ˈbʊli/]
A person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable
The bully snatches a smaller kid's lunch in the schoolyard.
The woolly sheep fully stands against the bully!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Dutch 'boel' or Low German 'bule' meaning 'lover' or 'brother', which later evolved to mean a swaggering or aggressive person. The word entered English in the 16th century and gradually shifted to describe someone who intimidates weaker people.
Breakdown
bully (noun/verb) - no productive morphemes; the word itself is a root word borrowed from Dutch/German origins, with no further etymological breakdown into English morphological components
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The boss tried to bully his employees into working overtime without pay”
“My little brother thinks he can bully me, but I just laugh at his tiny fists”
“She refused to be bullied into silence and spoke up about the harassment”
“The neighborhood cat is such a bully - it steals food from all the other pets”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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