to bully

Examples

• All

• Teenage boys are much more likely to bully others and also to be the targets of bullies.

  Academic text (2008)

• Did the boys bully you, then?

  All of Us Strangers (2023)

• This fellow tried to bully me out of business.

  The Burial (2023)

• The report also showed that boys are more likely to bully their colleagues when compared to girls.

  Academic text (2012)

• Which gender is most likely to bully others in a school setting?

  Academic text (2012)

• You are setting your kid up to get bullied so hard.

  The Basement Yard

• Do we protect the kids that get bullied or do we bully them?

  I've Had It

• If the Russians meant only to intimidate and bully, they would not have filled the sky with missiles.

  Fiction book (1995)

• Thus, teachers need to be aware of children who bully and assist them in overcoming the undesirable.

  Academic text (2006)

• The older students often bully the younger ones during lunch.

Synonyms

T

to threaten

vsto bully

987 3.3

To tell someone you will hurt them to make them afraid

adds ongoing harassment and targeting of weaker people beyond threats

H

to harass

vsto bully

302 4.0

Annoy someone again and again to make them feel worried or uncomfortable

is more aggressive and aims to frighten or physically harm targets

I

to intimidate

vsto bully

294 4.9

To frighten someone so they do what you want

adds stronger focus on attacking or harming weaker people

T

to terrorize

vsto bully

• NSFW

145 6.7

To frighten someone very much by using threats or violence

may be less extreme and include nonviolent intimidation or pressure

V

to victimize

vsto bully

• US

70 6.0

Treat someone cruelly or unfairly so they suffer

stresses intimidation and threats rather than only causing suffering

P

to push around

vsto bully

• Informal

66 5.6

To treat someone in a bossy way so they do what you want

often uses more force or explicit threat against less powerful people

B

to boss around

vsto bully

• Informal

37 4.5

Tell people what to do in a rude way when you have no right

can use threats and harm, targeting those with less power

M

to menace

vsto bully

19 4.6

To threaten people or places with harm

focuses more on active pressure and harming weaker persons

S

to strong-arm

vsto bully

• NSFW

15 7.5

To force someone to do something by threats or violence

covers similar coercion but also includes less physical intimidation

M

to molest

vsto bully

• Offensive

12 8.4

Annoy or disturb someone repeatedly

adds explicit threats or harm, often aimed at weaker individuals

B

to browbeat

vsto bully

9 8.1

To make someone do something by threatening them or using angry words

targets weaker people and can include threats or physical harm

H

to hector

vsto bully

3 8.4

To be bossy and scare someone into doing what you want

is broader, including direct harm and targeting weaker individuals

B

to beleaguer

vsto bully

2 8.6

To trouble or annoy someone again and again

includes direct intimidation and threats, not only ongoing annoyance

A

to aggress

vsto bully

2 8.6

To attack people or things in a violent way

emphasises coercion and repeated targeting of weaker people rather than just hostility

S

to swagger

vsto bully

1 7.5

To try to frighten someone by behaving in a threatening way

is more direct and may include real threats or physical harm

B

to bullyrag

vsto bully

• Offensive

9.9

To frighten or shout at someone to make them do what you want

is similar but may also involve physical harm or stronger coercion

B

to ballyrag

vsto bully

• Archaic

9.9

Make someone feel bad by bossing or bullying them

is broader, often involving stronger threats or actual harm

Antonyms

D

to defend

∞ 1.3

To protect people and things from attack or harm

Phrasal Verbs

B

to bully off

• Archaic

9.8

A way to start or restart play in field hockey where two players try to get the ball

Compounds

B

bully pulpit

• Literature

14 9.0

A public position that lets someone speak and influence many people

B

bully beef

• Archaic

7.7

A type of beef salted and packed tightly in a can

B

bully tree

• UK

9.9

A tropical hardwood tree that gives balata, a rubber-like gum, and heavy red-brown wood

How Aggressive

to persecute

98 7.0

to torment

• NSFW

107 7.2

to harass

302 4.0

to bully

• Offensive

68 3.8

to intimidate

294 4.9

to annoy

246 1.0

Surface Forms

Etymology