bullying

noun
UK: /ˈbʊliɪŋ/
US: /ˈbʊliɪŋ/

  1. Behavior that hurts or frightens someone weaker or smaller.

    1. Bullying is wrong, and we must stop it at schools.
    2. The school has a zero-tolerance policy for bullying of any kind.

  2. The act of using strength or power to frighten or hurt weaker people.

    1. No one deserves bullying, it's terrible and humiliating.
    2. Cyberbullying can have a devastating impact on a young person's mental health.

Synonyms

persecution torment threaten domineer browbeat coerce
bullying verb

  1. To frighten or hurt a weaker person; to use your strength or power to make someone do something.

    1. Don't bully me, just give my toy back, please.
    2. He was bullied at school because he was small and shy, it was awful bullying.

  2. To intentionally and repeatedly hurt or frighten someone who is weaker or more vulnerable than you are.

    1. It is not okay to bully others, think about their feelings.
    2. The company was accused of bullying smaller suppliers into accepting lower prices.
bullying adjective

  1. Describing someone who uses their strength or power to frighten or hurt others.

    1. He is a bullying person, very unpleasant and aggressive.
    2. I refuse to be intimidated by his bullying tactics, I stand my ground!

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "bullying" in English means: Behavior that hurts or frightens someone weaker or smaller., The act of using strength or power to frighten or hurt weaker people..

The phonetic transcription of "bullying" is /ˈbʊliɪŋ/ in British English and /ˈbʊliɪŋ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "bullying": persecution, torment, threaten, domineer, browbeat, coerce.

Example usage of "bullying": "Bullying is wrong, and we must stop it at schools.". More examples on the page.