bullshit

BUUL-shit/ˈbʊlʃɪt/

Verbbullshits, bullshitting, bullshitted

9 meanings of bullshit

1
nounslangvulgaruncountable
False, exaggerated, or misleading talk meant to impress or deceive, or said with no concern for whether it is true.
The salesman fed us a lot of bullshit about the car never having been in an accident.
His résumé was padded with bullshit about leading projects he had barely worked on.
UsageSay someone is full of bullshit or talks bullshit; BS is a milder way to say it.
Similargarbage, baloney, crap
2
stuffnounslangvulgaruncountable
Stuff of any kind, especially when viewed negatively or spoken of with the easy vulgarity of friends and colleagues.
Orientation covered parking permits, dress codes, fire drills, and all that bullshit.
With all the bullshit going on at home, he could hardly focus on his classes.
UsageOften at the end of a list or complaint: and all that bullshit.
Similarshit
Note
A list or a complaint often ends with it: all that bullshit, or all this bullshit going down, as the Isley Brothers' Fight the Power (1975) has it. Tacked on that way, it lumps petty rules, chores or troubles together and waves them away.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
The Isley Brothers recorded the song Fight the Power. en.wikipedia.org
Fight the Power was first released in 1975. en.wikipedia.org
The song contains the words “all this bullshit going down”. officialisleybrothers.com
3
pure nonsenseadjectiveslangvulgar
Making no sense or defying reason; absurd, particularly of statements, information, or content.
The video was full of bullshit claims, like the idea that the moon is hollow inside.
He quit after two years in a bullshit job that was mostly forwarding emails.
UsageUsually before a noun: a bullshit excuse, a bullshit job.
Similarbogus, ridiculous, absurd, pointless, nonsensical
4
said in disbeliefinterjectionslangvulgar
Used as an exclamation to say that you do not believe what someone has just said.
“I bench-pressed three hundred pounds yesterday.” “Bullshit! You can barely lift your gym bag.”
When the coach claimed the referee had called a fair game, half the bench muttered, “Bullshit.”
UsageUsually a one-word reply thrown back at a claim; said to someone's face, it is confrontational.
Similarnonsense, rubbish, horseshit
5
talk falselyverbslangvulgartransitive or intransitive
To tell lies or exaggerate, or to mislead or deceive someone.
He tried to bullshit the inspector about the missing safety records.
I could tell she was bullshitting when her story changed for the third time.
UsageYou bullshit someone or bullshit about something; the t doubles: bullshitting, bullshitted.
Similarlie, con, deceive, mislead, bluff

Less common meanings

6
chatverbslangvulgarintransitive
To have a casual, aimless conversation, chatting about nothing in particular.
The mechanics would bullshit with customers while the cars were up on the lift.
We spent most of the road trip bullshitting about baseball and the weather.
Similarchat, chatter, gab, natter
7
wing itverbslangvulgarintransitive
To make something up on the spot, improvising instead of relying on preparation.
With no notes in front of him, the speaker had to bullshit the last twenty minutes of his talk.
She hadn't prepared for that interview question, so she bullshitted until a real answer came to her.
UsageOften bullshit your way through something, or bullshit an answer you never prepared.
Similarimprovise, ad-lib, wing, bluff, fake
8
card gamenounvulgaruncountable
A card game in which players race to discard their hands, and the rules reward bluffing, calling others' bluffs, and tricking opponents into false accusations that cost them.
In bullshit, you can lay down three cards, call them all kings, and dare anyone to challenge you.
She lost the round of bullshit after wrongly calling out her uncle, who really had laid down two sevens.
UsageIn polite company the game is called cheat or I doubt it; BS softens the name.
Similarcheat, BS
Note
Each of the game's names doubles as the challenge a player calls out on suspecting a bluff: bullshit, cheat or I doubt it, depending on the table.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
Bullshit, Cheat and I Doubt It are names of the game and calls used to challenge a suspected bluff. en.wikipedia.org
9
animal wastenounvulgaruncountable
The droppings or dung of a bull.
After the rodeo, workers hosed the bullshit out of the chutes.
The pasture smelled of cut hay and fresh bullshit.
Similarcowshit
Note
Most other senses play on this literal compound of bull and shit, a word on record since the 1910s; cowshit is its farmyard twin. Literal uses can still wink at the "false talk" meaning: John Oliver's 2016 joke on Last Week Tonight, that a multilevel-marketing scheme is merely pyramid-shaped like a pile of bullshit, means dung and nonsense at once.

Practice

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Origin

Formed from bull + shit, the word is recorded by 1903.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

The word was formed from bull + shit. en.wiktionary.org
A use of bull-shit is documented in testimony dated July 23, 1903. Say ‘recorded by 1903’ without claiming an established first occurrence. listserv.linguistlist.org