bully

B1 · Intermediate

v. to frighten or hurt someone who is smaller or weaker than you.

v. to use superior strength or influence to intimidate someone, typically to force them to do something.

“Don't let the older kids bully you into giving them your lunch money.”

“The larger corporation attempted to bully the small startup into a lopsided merger by threatening a series of expensive lawsuits.”

C2 · Proficiency American English · Slang · Archaic

adj. an old-fashioned way to say something is very good or excellent.

adj. an archaic or dated slang term signifying excellence or high quality.

“That is a bully idea for a picnic.”

“The president remarked that it was a bully day for a parade, using the popular slang of the late nineteenth century.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Cooking British English

n. a type of salted, canned beef.

n. a shortened form of 'bully beef', referring to tinned corned beef.

“The soldiers were tired of eating nothing but bully and hard biscuits.”

“During the period of post-war rationing, many families relied on tins of bully to provide protein for their evening meals.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Sports Technical

n. a way to start or restart a game of field hockey.

n. a method of starting or restarting play in field hockey where two players tap sticks three times before hitting the ball.

“The referee called for a bully after the ball was accidentally trapped under a player's foot.”

“The match resumed with a bully on the twenty-five-yard line after a simultaneous foul by both midfielders.”