bulldoze

/ˈbʊldoʊz/

//ˈbʊldoʊz// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"bulldoze" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bulldoze” is uncommon English (frequency #64,952 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,952
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To destroy with a bulldozer.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bulldoze · bulldoze · English

bulldoze · rank #64,952 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,952
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bulacan

Nearest frequency peer: Bulacan (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “bulldoze”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “bulldoze” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bulldoze
PropertyValue
Headwordbulldoze
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈbʊldoʊz/
Letters8
Frequency rank#64,952
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bulldoze” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).bulldozefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Bulacan” (#64,951), “broadsheet” (#64,947), “bygones” (#64,957). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bulldoze” is #64,952. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bulldoze is uncommon English at frequency #64,952 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈbʊldoʊz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

bulldoze has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier bulldose (noun, literally “bull-dose, a dose fit for a bull”), equivalent to bull + dose. The correct English form is bulldoze, spelled B-U-L-L-D-O-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To destroy with a bulldozer.
  2. 2
    To push someone over by heading straight over them. Often used in conjunction with "over".
  3. 3
    To push through forcefully.
  4. 4
    To push into a heap, as a bulldozer does.
  5. 5
    To shoot down an idea immediately and forcefully.
  6. 6
    To intimidate; to restrain or coerce by intimidation or violence; used originally of the intimidation of black voters in Louisiana.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how bulldoze appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He's certainly very chirpy for a man whose house has just been bulldozed down.
  2. Chulalongkorn [University] set to bulldoze historic Chinese-Thai shrine, build condos

Etymology

From earlier bulldose (noun, literally “bull-dose, a dose fit for a bull”), equivalent to bull + dose.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bulldoze"?
"bulldoze" is spelled B-U-L-L-D-O-Z-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbʊldoʊz/.
What does "bulldoze" mean?
As a verb, "bulldoze" means: To destroy with a bulldozer.
How do you pronounce "bulldoze"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bulldoze" is /ˈbʊldoʊz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "bulldoze"?
From earlier bulldose (noun, literally “bull-dose, a dose fit for a bull”), equivalent to bull + dose. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bulldoze", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

casebook#64,970Chaldean#64,974benefice#64,921chutzpah#64,985

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list