bullet

noun

bul·​let ˈbu̇-lət 

 also  ˈbə-

often attributive

1

: a round or elongated missile (as of lead) to be fired from a firearm

broadly : cartridge sense 1a

2

a

: something resembling a bullet (as in curved form)

b

: a large dot placed in printed matter to call attention to a particular passage

3

: a very fast and accurately thrown or hit object (such as a ball or puck)

bulleted

ˈbu̇-lə-təd 

 also  ˈbə-

adjective

Synonyms

• ball
• pellet

Examples of bullet in a Sentence

He was killed by an assassin's bullet.

Bullets were used to separate each item.

The quarterback threw a bullet to the receiver.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Oklahoma man who was facing 12 years in a tropical prison after Turks and Caicos authorities found four stray bullets in his luggage is coming back to the United States after a months-long ordeal. —Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 21 June 2024

Shortly after the suspect began firing bullets more rapidly, Rodriguez saw people running from the scene. —Zoe Sottile, CNN, 21 June 2024

Images from reporters on the scene showed the grocery store’s windows covered in bullet holes. —Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 21 June 2024

Walleye jigs are as many as there are stars in the sky; there are football heads, bullet heads, barbed heads meant for plastics, and live bait jigs, complete with secondary stinger hooks designed to nail those short-striking finicky fish. —M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 20 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French boulette small ball & boulet missile, diminutives of boule ball — more at bowl

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bullet

• bite the bullet
• bullet point
• bullet train
• dodge a bullet
• dodge the bullet
• magic bullet
• rubber bullet
• silver bullet

Kids Definition

bullet

noun

bul·​let ˈbu̇l-ət 

1

: a usually cone-shaped lead pellet fixed in the front of a firearms cartridge

2

a

: something like a bullet

b

: a large dot used in print to call attention to a particular passage

3

: a very fast and accurately thrown or hit object (as a ball)

bulleted

-ət-əd 

adjective

Etymology

from early French boulette "small ball" and boulet "something thrown or shot," from boule "ball," from Latin bulla "bubble" — related to boil, bowl