bully
/ˈbʊli/noun, verb, adjective, interjection
bully is spelled B-U-L-L-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 7.4 times per million words in written English, the 8,669th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bully means “A person who is intentionally physically or emotionally cruel to others, especially to those whom they perceive as being vulnerable or of less power…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bully is bullies.
How many letters and syllables are in bully?
| Letters | 5: B-U-L-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 7.4 times per million words; the 8,669th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is bully?
Bully appears 7.4 times per million words in written English, the 8,669th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce bully?
- US /ˈbʊli/
- British /ˈbɵlɪj/
- /ˈbʉle/
Bully has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-bully.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with bully?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as bully from its last stressed vowel (/ʊli/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of bully
- bullies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- bullying participle, present
- bullied participle, past
- bullier comparative
- bulliest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bully mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person who is intentionally physically or emotionally cruel to others, especially to those whom they perceive as being vulnerable or of less power or privilege.
A playground bully pushed a girl off the swing.
- 2
A noisy, blustering, tyrannical person, more insolent than courageous; one who is threatening and quarrelsome.
- 3
A hired thug.
- 4
A sex worker's minder.
- 5
Bully beef.
- 6
obsoleteA brisk, dashing fellow.
- 7
The small scrum in the Eton College field game.
- 8
Any of various small freshwater or brackishwater fish of the family Eleotridae; sleeper gobies.
verb
- 1
To intimidate (someone) as a bully.
You shouldn't bully people for being weak.
- 2
To act aggressively towards.
interjection
- 1
Well done; often sarcastic in modern use.
Bully, she's finally asked for that promotion!
adjective
- 1
USdatedslangVery good.
a bully horse
- 2
obsoleteslangJovial and blustering.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bully in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | brimeur, brute, tyran , intimider , tourmenter, terroriser |
| German | Rabauke, Bully, Tyrann, Schikaneur, Mobber , einschüchtern |
| Portuguese | rufia, rufião, valentão , intimidar, bulir, oprimir |
| Spanish | bravucón, abusón, matón, abusador, peleón, pendenciero |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does bully come from?
From 1530, as a term of endearment, probably a diminutive ( + -y) of Dutch boel (“lover; brother”), from Middle Dutch boel, boele (“brother; lover”), from Old Dutch *buolo, from Proto-Germanic *bōlô (compare Middle Low German bôle (“brother”), Middle High German buole (“brother; close relative; close relation”) (whence German Buhle (“lover”)), Old English Bōla, Bōlla (personal name), diminutive of expressive *bō- (“brother, father”). Compare also Latvian bālinš (“brother”). More at boy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).