What does "bulldoze" mean?
To destroy with a bulldozer.
Bulldoze
/ˈbʊldoʊz/ verb, slang
verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To destroy with a bulldozer.
- Grammar: bulldoze is listed as verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: assault, barge, barges, be imminent.
- Useful contrasts: level of rebelliousness, acquiesce, consent.
- Usage evidence: They know that they can bulldoze their way out of the situation.
How to use "bulldoze"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bulldoze" 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 "bulldoze" 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 "bulldoze" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bulldoze" 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 "bulldoze" is acting as verb, slang 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 "assault" 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 "bulldoze", 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
Verb
- 1 To destroy with a bulldozer.
"He's certainly very chirpy for a man whose house has just been bulldozed down."
- 2 flatten with or as if with a bulldozer wordnet
- 3 To push someone over by heading straight over them. Often used in conjunction with "over". UK
"He just ran across the field bulldozing everyone over."
- 4 To push through forcefully.
"For the second time in a week, Wenger's team gave themselves an encouraging platform. In the 11th minute Theo Walcott drilled in a corner, and Olivier Giroud bulldozed through unopposed to thump the ball goalwards."
- 5 To push into a heap, as a bulldozer does.
"Again the animal had bulldozed all of its bedding into a heap at one end of its cage."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To shoot down an idea immediately and forcefully. UK
"That was a good suggestion, but you just bulldozed it."
- 7 To intimidate; to restrain or coerce by intimidation or violence; used originally of the intimidation of black voters in Louisiana. US, dated, slang
"Whatever may be the long delayed result of the election of 1876, there is one point which has not yet been commented on, and that is, its effect upon our language. There is no surer indication of the mightiness of a national event than this, that a number of new expressions and new words have been born into our common speech, through the strong travail of the times. You will find in the mouths of the people and the press at least three combinations of words which, in the strongest sense they are now used in, have never been there before. One of them is “Counted out,” or “Counted in.” Another is, “Wait for the returns,” and a third, pure slang, is, “bulldozed.” […] ”Wait for the returns,” has drifted from politics into business, religion, home and society, and bulldozed is the common word for intimidation in any of the extraordinary occupations of life."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"They know that they can bulldoze their way out of the situation."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bulldoze"?
Common synonyms include: assault, barge, barges, be imminent, bear, bear upon.
How do you use "bulldoze" in a sentence?
They know that they can bulldoze their way out of the situation.
How do you pronounce "bulldoze"?
Pronounced /ˈbʊldoʊz/.
Etymology
From earlier bulldose (noun, literally “bull-dose, a dose fit for a bull”), equivalent to bull + dose.