# bullet

Pronunciation: say "BUUL-it" /ˈbʊl.ɪt/

## Noun

1. A metal projectile fired from a gun at high speed.
   - Simple: A small piece of metal fired from a gun at high speed.
   - _The bullet lodged in the wall just above the doorway._
   - _Forensic experts matched the bullet to a specific rifle._
2. A printed solid-circle symbol, "•", used to mark items in a list.
   - Simple: A small black dot used to mark each item in a list.
   - _Replace the numbers with a bullet if the order doesn't matter._
   - _The designers chose a square bullet instead of the usual round dot._
3. A complete round of unfired ammunition: the projectile, the cartridge case, and the propellant charge together. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: The whole piece of ammunition you load into a gun, not just the metal tip.
   - _She slid a fresh bullet into the chamber before the range opened._
   - _The clerk asked which caliber of bullets the hunter needed._
4. Any object that travels through the air at extremely high speed.
   - Simple: Something that moves through the air very fast, like a shot from a gun.
   - _The quarterback fired a bullet across the field into the receiver's hands._
   - _His throw from deep center was a bullet that beat the runner home._
6. Characterized by very high speed; extremely fast.
   - Simple: Moving or done at very high speed.
   - _Japan's bullet train glides between cities at remarkable speed._
   - _The midfielder delivered a bullet pass that split the defense._
8. A chart notation showing that a song is climbing in the pop music rankings.
   - Simple: A mark on a music chart that shows a song is moving up.
   - _The single earned a bullet as it surged up the chart._
   - _Losing its bullet signaled that the song's momentum had stalled._
9. A large scheduled repayment of a loan's principal made as a single lump sum; a balloon payment.
   - Simple: A big final payment that clears most of a loan all at once.
   - _The borrower faced a hefty bullet when the five-year loan matured._
   - _Refinancing let them avoid the bullet scheduled for next year._
10. A year of time served in prison. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A single year of time spent in prison.
   - _The judge handed him a bullet for the lesser charge._
   - _After three bullets inside, she walked out determined to start over._
13. Ellipsis of bullet chess. — Ellipsis of bullet chess.
   - Simple: Short form of bullet chess. It means a very fast game of chess with very little time on the clock.
   - _Online platforms let players queue for bullet at any hour of the night._
   - _She lost three games of bullet in a row on time._
14. A letter informing someone that they have been turned down for a job, a place at a school, or a competition.
   - Simple: A letter telling you that you did not get a job, a school place, or a prize.
   - _The bullet from her first-choice university arrived on a gray Monday morning._
   - _After a dozen bullets, he reworked his résumé from scratch._
15. Among card players, the ace. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In card games, the ace.
   - _She drew a bullet on the river and won the hand._
   - _Holding a pair of bullets, he pushed all his chips forward._
16. The best workout time recorded at a track on a given day over a particular distance, traditionally marked on the sheet with a printer's bullet. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: The fastest practice time set at a track on a given day for a set distance.
   - _The filly posted the bullet for six furlongs on a fast track Tuesday._
   - _Clockers noted a bullet beside the gray's time on the worksheet._
17. A small candy shaped roughly like a bullet, made of a cylinder of licorice coated in chocolate. *(Australia)*
   - Simple: A small candy made of a stick of licorice covered in chocolate.
   - _Halfway through the movie she passed me the bag, and I took one more bullet._
   - _The milk bar near the school sold bullets by the scoop alongside the other lollies._
18. The heavy iron ball that players hurl along the road in a game of road bowling. *(Ireland)*
   - Simple: The heavy metal ball that players throw in the game of road bowling.
   - _The thrower swung his arm low and sent the bullet skimming along the lane._
   - _Each player hurls the bullet, and the one who finishes the course in fewest throws wins._
19. A piece of ammunition manufactured specifically for use in a sling or slingshot.
   - Simple: A small ball or shot made to be fired from a sling or slingshot.
   - _Ancient slingers carried molded lead bullets that flew farther than stones._
   - _She loaded a smooth bullet into the sling and took aim._
20. A weight, such as a plumb or sinker, used to pull a fishing line down through the water.
   - Simple: A small heavy weight used to sink a fishing line.
   - _He threaded a bullet onto the line above the hook before casting._
   - _A heavier bullet held the bait steady against the current._

## Verb

5. To highlight text by placing a graphic dot in front of it, or as if by doing so. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To mark a piece of text with a dot so it stands out in a list.
   - _The editor asked me to bullet the key findings in the summary._
   - _He bulleted every requirement to make the contract easier to scan._
7. To move at very high speed, as a bullet does. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To move very fast, like a shot from a gun.
   - _Watch the sleds bullet down the icy track._
   - _The train bulleted through the tunnel without slowing._
11. To strike a ball or take a shot with great speed. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To shoot a ball very fast and hard.
   - _Forwards who bullet the ball on goal force keepers into mistakes._
   - _She bulleted a header past the diving keeper._
12. To dismiss someone from a job; to fire them. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To make someone leave their job by firing them.
   - _The new boss bulleted half the department in his first month._
   - _Companies that bullet staff without warning damage their reputation._
21. To strike or wound a target by firing bullets into it. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To hit or wound a person or thing by shooting bullets at them.
   - _The gang bulleted the storefront in the night._
   - _He swore he would bullet the next man to step through the door._

## Noun

22. A small ball or rounded pellet of any material. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A small ball or pellet.
   - _He pressed the dough into a tidy bullet no bigger than a pea._
   - _The beads were tiny bullets of colored glass strung on thread._
23. A cannonball: the large iron ball fired from a cannon. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A large iron ball fired from a cannon.
24. The fetlock of a horse: the joint above the hoof, set with a tuft of hair at the back of the leg. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The joint just above a horse's hoof.
   - _The farrier felt along the mare's bullet for any sign of swelling._
   - _Long hair hung over the stallion's bullets in the old illustration._
25. A young or small bull, or a male calf. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A young bull, or a male calf.
   - _The boy raised the bullet from a calf into a sturdy young animal._
   - _A pair of bullets bawled at the gate, eager for feed._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–24** — From Middle English 'bullet', originally an official tag or badge, from Old French 'bullete', a diminutive of 'boule' ('ball'). It was later influenced by Middle French 'boulette' and French 'boulet'.
**Meaning 25** — Formed from 'bull' plus the diminutive suffix '-let'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/bullet (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).