bullet

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed.
2. (countable, informal, uncountable) An entire round of unfired ammunition for a firearm, including the projectile, the cartridge casing, the propellant charge, etc.
3. (countable, uncountable) Ammunition for a sling or slingshot which has been manufactured for such use.
4. (countable, uncountable) A printed symbol in the form of a solid circle, “•”, often used to mark items in a list.
5. (countable, uncountable) A large scheduled repayment of the principal of a loan; a balloon payment.
6. (countable, uncountable) A rejection letter, as for employment, admission to a school or a competition.
7. (countable, slang, uncountable) One year of prison time.
8. (countable, slang, uncountable) An ace (the playing card).
9. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) Anything that is projected extremely fast.
10. (attributive, countable, uncountable) Very fast (speedy).
11. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable) Ellipsis of bullet chess.
12. (countable, uncountable) A plumb or sinker.
13. (Ireland, countable, uncountable) The heavy projectile thrown in a game of road bowling.
14. (Australia, countable, uncountable) A roughly bullet-shaped sweet consisting of a cylinder of liquorice covered in chocolate.
15. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) A small ball.
16. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) A cannonball.
17. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) The fetlock of a horse.
18. (Canada, US, countable, uncountable) The best workout time at a track on a given day at a specific distance, traditionally marked by a printer's bullet.
19. (countable, uncountable) A notation used on pop music charts to indicate that a song is climbing in the rankings.

Verb

1. (informal, transitive) To draw attention to (text) by, or as if by, placing a graphic bullet in front of it.
2. (informal, intransitive) To speed, like a bullet.
3. (informal, transitive) To make a shot, especially with great speed.
4. (rare, slang, transitive) To inflict bullet shots upon.
5. (slang, transitive) To fire from a job; to dismiss.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈbʊl.ɪt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: bullet

Cognate with Middle French: boulette

Cognate with French: boulet

In summary

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.

Synonyms

shot

cartridge

projectile

shell

🐚

ball

slug

pellet

ammunition

bullet train

hummer

heater

fastball

gunshot

smoke

go-devil

stone

🪨

casing

arrow

arrowhead

sphere

orb

round shot

pill

💊

pin

pistol

plumb

plummet

rock

🪨

round

sinker

souvenir

spring

streamliner

torpedo

trigger

warhead

clod of dirt

round of ammunition

sounding lead

bullet loan

unit of ammunition

bullet point

bullet maturing

bullet maturity

scraping apparatus

projectile nose

bale

bomb

💣

bowl

buckshot

Translations

balle

bala

Kugel

bala

kogel

pallottola

bala

σφαίρα

pocisk

proiettile

mermi

kula

kurşun

Gewehrkugel

cartouche

Sentences

Luckily , the dagger couldn't penetrate the bullet proof vest .