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

Pitchers threw off the main mound or in the bullpens. —Joe Frisaro, Miami Herald, 20 June 2024

Hernández has an opportunity to carve out a pivotal role in the Royals bullpen. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 19 June 2024

Advertisement Cleveland’s Vic Wertz, a lefty, came to bat with runners on first and second in the eighth inning of a 2-2 tie, facing another lefty, Don Liddle, just in from the bullpen. —Mike Kupper, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2024

In addition to Jackson out of the bullpen, the Twins also got solid efforts from Jorge Alcala, Griffin Jax, and Jhoan Duran in relief. —Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 19 June 2024

With Dean Kremer set to return from the injured list soon, that would either allow the Orioles to have a six-man rotation again, or push a starter, possibly Albert Suárez, to the bullpen to return to the traditional five-man corps. —Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 18 June 2024

Melvin said that if Snell feels good, the next step could be another bullpen session or facing some hitters. —Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 15 June 2024

Cade Cavalli threw two innings and around 45 pitches in a live bullpen session Saturday afternoon, facing Trey Lipscomb and Nasim Nuñez. —Andrew Golden, Washington Post, 15 June 2024

And as Betts rounded the bases, coolly celebrating his 10th homer of the season with a point to the team’s dugout and bullpen, the futility of his recent struggles quickly faded from memory. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 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