Reading Theme:
Bully Meaning: Definition, Examples & Usage (2 meaning)
Meaning 1：someone who intimidates (bully)
bully
/ˈbʊli/
n.
A person who uses strength or power to hurt or scare weaker people.
someone who intimidates
➕
/ˈsʌmˌwʌn huː ɪnˈtɪmɪdeɪts/
n.
A person who habitually seeks to harm, intimidate, or coerce those seen as vulnerable, often in a repetitive and targeted manner.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Root Explanation
From Dutch 'boel' meaning 'lover', later pejorative for a ruffian.
💡 Mnemonic
Think of a 'bull' that charges at weaker animals. The bully does the same to people.
📖 Example
In the classroom, a quiet student often stayed silent because a known bully would make fun of his accent.
In the classroom, a quiet student often stayed silent because a known bully would make fun of his accent.
🔗 Collocations
a notorious bully – a widely known person who intimidates others
playground bully – a child who bullies others in a school playground
bully mentality – the mindset of someone who bullies
🔄 Synonyms
intimidator (n.) – a person who frightens or threatens others
tormentor (n.) – someone who causes severe physical or mental suffering
harasser (n.) – a person who persistently bothers or pressures others
🚫 Antonyms
🌱 Derivatives
📖 Cultural Story
Originally a Dutch word for 'lover', it shifted in 16th-century English to mean 'fine fellow', then 'ruffian'. The modern sense of a person who intimidates others emerged in the 18th century.
Meaning 2：intimidate or coerce (bully)
bully
/ˈbʊli/
n.
To use strength or power to hurt, threaten, or scare someone on purpose.
intimidate or coerce
➕
/ɪnˈtɪmɪdeɪt ɔːr koʊˈɜːrs/
n.
To deliberately use one's strength or authority to threaten, pressure, or harm someone, often to make them do something against their will.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Example
The manager was accused of trying to bully his team into working overtime every weekend.
The manager was accused of trying to bully his team into working overtime every weekend.
🔗 Collocations
bully someone into – to force someone to do something by threats
bully around – to treat someone in a bossy or aggressive manner
bully the weak – to intimidate those who are less powerful
🔄 Synonyms
coerce (v.) – to persuade someone to do something by using force or threats
intimidate (v.) – to frighten or overawe someone, especially to make them do something
browbeat (v.) – to intimidate someone with stern or abusive words
🚫 Antonyms
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