/ bʊl; NAmE / noun
1.
[ C ] the male of any animal in the cow family :
a bull neck (= a short thick neck like a bull's )
—compare bullock , cow , ox , steer
2.
[ C ] the male of the elephant , whale and some other large animals
—compare cow
3.
[ C ] ( finance ) a person who buys shares in a company, hoping to sell them soon afterwards at a higher price
—compare bear
4.
[ C ] an official order or statement from the Pope (= the head of the Roman Catholic Church) :
a papal bull
5.
[ U ] ( slang ) = bullshit :
That's a load of bull!
6.
[ C ] = bullseye
—see also cock and bull story
•
IDIOMS
- a bull in a china shop
- take the bull by the horns
—more at red adjective , shoot verb
••
WORD ORIGIN
senses 1 to 3 and sense 6 late Old English bula (recorded in place names), from Old Norse boli . Compare with bullock .
sense 4 Middle English : from Old French bulle , from Latin bulla bubble, rounded object (in medieval Latin seal or sealed document).