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Glite Dictionary
to bull through

to bull through

1 8.1
To push something through when others strongly oppose it
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : superar
  • He had to bull through the traffic to make it to the meeting on time.

Examples

  • Slattery bulls through like a fullback blocking for his speedier teammate.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • But permit me not to do the book a disservice and ignore the clumsiness with which its author bulls through his thematic concerns: if there be marvels here, they are flimsy and fleeting, without exception.

    Blog text (12)

  • Despite the challenges, she managed to bull through her fear and deliver the speech.

  • The team will bull through these obstacles to complete the project by the deadline.

Synonyms

to muscle
vsto bull through
  • Informal
39 6.6

To push into a place using physical strength or influence

emphasizes achieving aims by persistence or will as well as strength
to push through
vsto bull through
39 3.6

To keep going despite problems until you finish

focuses more on insistence and forceful achievement rather than quiet perseverance
to steamroll
vsto bull through
8 6.5

Push a plan or idea through by ignoring other people's views

can be physical or determined insistence but is less about ignoring context
to bull
vsto bull through
  • Informal
7 8.1

To push through a crowd or barrier using force

relies also on sheer determination or will, not only physical strength
to push one's way through
vsto bull through
4 3.9

Move forward by getting past people or things blocking the way

includes pushing through challenges more generally, not only physical passages
to ram down someone's throat
vsto bull through
  • Informal
1 8.9

Force someone to accept ideas or opinions without their choice

is broader, applying force to actions or decisions as well as ideas
to plough one's way through
vsto bull through
  • UK
1 7.4

To move forward with difficulty through people or things with effort

is more about determined progress rather than pushing through by force
to bullrush through
vsto bull through
  • UK
8.9

Move quickly through a crowd while pushing people aside

focuses more on achieving goals by determined pressure, not just crowd movement

Antonyms

to give up
∞ 1.2

To stop trying to do something or accept defeat

How Forceful

to ram down
1 7.1
to bull through
  • Informal
1 8.1
to force
∞ 2.3

Surface Forms

bull through infinitive
bull through past
bull through past participle
bulling through present participle
bulls through third person singular

Morphology

bull + through

The meaning 'to force or push something through despite opposition' is directly built from 'bull' (to forcefully move or press through obstacles) combined with 'through' (completely/to the other side), so a learner who knows both words can infer the sense. This verb + particle composition is a regular, predictable pattern rather than an idiomatic shift, making the expression transparent.

Etymology

The phrasal verb bull through comes from the image of a bull pushing its head and body through a fence or a crowd to get where it wants. That's why the phrase means 'to force something through even when others oppose it'.