What does "bullet" mean?
A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed.
Bullet
/ˈbʊl.ɪt/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed.
- Grammar: bullet is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: slug, alpha decay, atom smashing, atom-chipping.
- Useful contrasts: arrows, conventional train, numbered item.
- Usage evidence: Martin Luther King, Jr., a man of peace, was killed by an assassin's bullet.
How to use "bullet"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bullet" 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 "bullet" 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 "bullet" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bullet" 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 "bullet" is acting as noun, 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 "slug" 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 "bullet", 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 projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed. countable, uncountable
- 2 A young or little bull; a male calf. rare
"—Chicago boasts of a citizen of fine discrimination and delicacy, who, riding in the suburbs with his best girl, passed a stable in the door of which stood a couple of calves. "See," said the young lady, "those two cute little cowlets." "Those are not cowlets, Araminta; they are bullets.""
- 3 (baseball) a pitch thrown with maximum velocity wordnet
- 4 An entire round of unfired ammunition for a firearm, including the projectile, the cartridge casing, the propellant charge, etc. countable, informal, uncountable
- 5 a projectile that is fired from a gun wordnet
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 Ammunition for a sling or slingshot which has been manufactured for such use. countable, uncountable
"Then when our powers in points of ſwords are ioin’d And cloſde in compaſſe of the killing bullet, Though ſtraite the paſſage and the port be made, That leads to Pallace of my brothers life, Proud is his fortune if we pierce it not."
- 7 a high-speed passenger train wordnet
- 8 A printed symbol in the form of a solid circle, “•”, often used to mark items in a list. countable, uncountable
- 9 A large scheduled repayment of the principal of a loan; a balloon payment. countable, uncountable
- 10 A rejection letter, as for employment, admission to a school or a competition. countable, uncountable
"John's not going to any of his top schools; he got a bullet from the last of them yesterday."
- 11 One year of prison time. countable, slang, uncountable
"G.T.A. I got sentenced to a bullet, did six months at fire camp and got a modification."
- 12 An ace (the playing card). countable, slang, uncountable
"The miser, a-seeking lost gelt, The doughboy, awaiting the battle, May possibly know how I felt While the long years dragged by as the dealer As slow as the slowest of dubs, Stuck out the last helping of tickets 'Till I lifted—the Bullet of Clubs!"
- 13 Anything that is projected extremely fast. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"Just as it appeared Arsenal had taken the sting out of the tie, Johnson produced a moment of outrageous quality, thundering a bullet of a left foot shot out of the blue and into the top left-hand corner of Wojciech Szczesny's net with the Pole grasping at thin air."
- 14 Very fast (speedy). attributive, countable, uncountable
"bullet train; bullet chess"
- 15 Ellipsis of bullet chess. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable
"Nakamura is a different animal at 15-minute rapid and five-minute blitz and even more so at one-minute bullet, and in this match he adopted a psychological approach which paid off brilliantly."
- 16 A plumb or sinker. countable, uncountable
- 17 The heavy projectile thrown in a game of road bowling. Ireland, countable, uncountable
- 18 A roughly bullet-shaped sweet consisting of a cylinder of liquorice covered in chocolate. Australia, countable, uncountable
- 19 A small ball. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Would you not suppose these persons had been whispered, by the Master of the Ceremonies, the promise of some momentous destiny? and that this lukewarm bullet on which they play their farces was the bull's-eye and centrepoint of all the universe?"
- 20 A cannonball. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"A ship before Greenwich […] shot off her ordinance, one piece being charged with a bullet of stone."
- 21 The fetlock of a horse. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 22 The best workout time at a track on a given day at a specific distance, traditionally marked by a printer's bullet. Canada, US, countable, uncountable
- 23 A notation used on pop music charts to indicate that a song is climbing in the rankings. countable, uncountable
"I'm eighteen with a bullet Got my finger on the trigger, I'm gonna pull it […] I'm high on the chart I'm tip for the top"
Verb
- 1 To draw attention to (text) by, or as if by, placing a graphic bullet in front of it. informal, transitive
"For instance, in the article on Tim Berners-Lee, we have bulleted "World Wide Web""
- 2 To speed, like a bullet. informal, intransitive
"Their debut started slow, but bulleted to number six in its fourth week."
- 3 To make a shot, especially with great speed. informal, transitive
"He bulleted a header for his first score of the season."
- 4 To inflict bullet shots upon. rare, slang, transitive
"They got bro-bro stuck on the wing, cah I picked up and bullet him"
- 5 To fire from a job; to dismiss. slang, transitive
"Mowbray never had that luxury, he was bulleted after a run of bad results just as Kenny Dalglish was at Liverpool last season."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Martin Luther King, Jr., a man of peace, was killed by an assassin's bullet."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bullet"?
Common synonyms include: slug, alpha decay, atom smashing, atom-chipping, atom-smashing, atomic disintegration.
How do you use "bullet" in a sentence?
Martin Luther King, Jr., a man of peace, was killed by an assassin's bullet.
How do you pronounce "bullet"?
Pronounced /ˈbʊl.ɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bullet (“an official tag or badge of registration or identification”), from Old French bullete, diminutive of boule (“ball”). Later influenced by Middle French boulette and French boulet.
Etymology 2
From bull + -et.