What does "bugle" mean?
A horn used by hunters.
Bugle
/ˈbjuːɡəl/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A horn used by hunters.
- Grammar: bugle is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: bugleweed, alpenhorn, alphorn, althorn.
- Useful contrasts: quiet, silence.
- Usage evidence: Tom played Reveille on his bugle every morning.
How to use "bugle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bugle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bugle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bugle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bugle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bugle" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bugleweed" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bugle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A horn used by hunters.
- 2 A tubular glass or plastic bead sewn onto clothes as a decorative trim
"How well so ever I fancied my lectures against pride had conquered the vanity of my daughters; yet I still found them secretly attached to all their former finery: they still loved laces, ribbands, bugles and catgut […]"
- 3 A plant in the family Lamiaceae grown as a ground cover Ajuga reptans, and other plants in the genus Ajuga.
- 4 a brass instrument without valves; used for military calls and fanfares wordnet
- 5 A simple brass instrument consisting of a horn with no valves, playing only pitches in its harmonic series
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a tubular glass or plastic bead sewn onto clothing for decoration wordnet
- 7 The sound of something that bugles.
"the bugle of an elk"
- 8 any of various low-growing annual or perennial evergreen herbs native to Eurasia; used for ground cover wordnet
- 9 A sort of wild ox; a buffalo.
"Then tooke that squire an horne of bugle small, Which hong adowne his side in twisted gold And tassels gay."
Verb
- 1 To announce, sing, or cry in the manner of a musical bugle.
"“It was as though the very constellations knew our impending sorrow,” he bugled, his head raised to the ceiling, his voice full-throated."
- 2 play on a bugle wordnet
Adjective
- 1 jet-black obsolete
"Bugle eyeballs."
Proper Noun
- 1 A village in Treverbyn parish, Cornwall, England (OS grid ref SX0158).
Example
"Tom played Reveille on his bugle every morning."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bugle"?
Common synonyms include: bugleweed, alpenhorn, alphorn, althorn, alto horn, antlia.
How do you use "bugle" in a sentence?
Tom played Reveille on his bugle every morning.
How do you pronounce "bugle"?
Pronounced /ˈbjuːɡəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bugle, from Anglo-Norman and Old French bugle, from Latin būculus (“young bull; ox; steer”).
Etymology 2
From Late Latin bugulus (“a woman's ornament”).
Etymology 3
From Middle English bugle (“bugleweed”), from Anglo-Norman and Old French bugle, from Medieval Latin bugilla, probably related to Late Latin bugillo.
Etymology 4
Probably named after the Bugle Inn.