What does "bullion" mean?
A bulk quantity of precious metal, usually gold or silver, assessed by weight and typically cast as ingots.
Bullion
/ˈbʊl.jən/ name, noun
name, noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A bulk quantity of precious metal, usually gold or silver, assessed by weight and typically cast as ingots.
- Grammar: bullion is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: bar, bar, button, cast.
- Useful contrasts: coin, paper money, poverty.
- Usage evidence: The vault was filled to the brim with gold bullion bars.
How to use "bullion"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bullion" 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 "bullion" 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 "bullion" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bullion" 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 "bullion" is acting as name, noun 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 "bar" 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 "bullion", 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 bulk quantity of precious metal, usually gold or silver, assessed by weight and typically cast as ingots. countable, uncountable
"If the mint kept back one per cent, to pay the expense of coinage, it would be against the interest of the holders of bullion to have it coined, until the coin was more valuable than the bullion by at least that fraction."
- 2 gold or silver in bars or ingots wordnet
- 3 Base or uncurrent coin. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"And those which eld's strict doom did disallow, / And damn for bullion, go for current now."
- 4 a mass of precious metal wordnet
- 5 Showy metallic ornament, as of gold, silver, or copper, on bridles, saddles, etc. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"To beholde how it was garnysshyd and bounde, […] The claspis and bullyons were worth a thousande pounde; […]"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A heavy twisted fringe, made of fine gold or silver wire and used for epaulets; also, any heavy twisted fringe whose cords are prominent. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The hair was plaited with bullion and red riband, and then wound round the head, something after the fashion of a turban, save that it entirely displayed the forehead."
- 7 The mark left on a glass piece from its attachment to a punty. countable, uncountable
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"The vault was filled to the brim with gold bullion bars."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bullion"?
Common synonyms include: bar, bar, button, cast, casting, coin gold.
How do you use "bullion" in a sentence?
The vault was filled to the brim with gold bullion bars.
How do you pronounce "bullion"?
Pronounced /ˈbʊl.jən/.
Etymology
From Middle English bulloin, bullioun, from Anglo-Norman bullion, of obscure origin, perhaps from French bouillon, extending the sense to that of ‘melting’. Middle Dutch boelioen (“base metal”) seems to have come from the unrelated French billon.