bullpen

noun

bull·​pen ˈbu̇l-ˌpen 

 also  ˈbəl-

variants or less commonly bull pen

plural bullpens also bull pens

1

: a large cell where prisoners are detained until brought into court

Commonly called the "bullpen," the court lockup is behind the courtroom and is used as a holding area for prisoners …

—Bruce A. Scruton

2

a

: a place on a baseball field where pitchers warm up before they start pitching

In the bullpen, Goose Gossage is warming up.

—Tony Scherman

b

: the relief pitchers of a baseball team

After five innings Seattle led 14-2 and, with baseball's best bullpen waiting to protect the lead should starter Aaron Sele falter …

—Sports Illustrated

3

: an open work area not divided into offices

… an alternative to the traditional combination of private offices for the brass and bullpens for the workers.

—Carl Ruff

Examples of bullpen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Scott would fortify the backend of New York's bullpen. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

Since removing Flaherty in the second, Roberts had managed his bullpen ruthlessly. —Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024

The bullpen games were probably the most challenging. —Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024

The Diamondbacks signed Montgomery to be a starter, of course, and a bullpen spot seems a last resort. —Jack Magruder, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

The Yanks lead 4-0, and will now face the Los Angeles bullpen for the rest of the game. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024

Those Dodger bullpen games had been successful earlier in the playoffs against the San Diego Padres and then the New York Mets. —Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2024

And the addition of Michael Kopech strengthened the bullpen, though the hard-throwing right-hander still has his moments where command is an issue. —Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 27 Oct. 2024

Bumgarner comes out of the bullpen to pitch five scoreless innings on two days’ rest as the Giants held off the Kansas City Royals 3-2. 2017 — Justin Rose mounts the third-largest final-round comeback in PGA TOUR history to win the WGC-HSBC Champions. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bull pen

noun

1

: a large cell where prisoners are held until brought into court

2

a

: a place on a baseball field where relief pitchers warm up

b

: the relief pitchers of a team