bullying

American  

[bool-ee-ing] / ˈbʊl i ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of harassing, intimidating, or abusing others, especially habitually or from a perceived position of relative power.

   Bullying and stress can impact students' experiences at school.

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Other Word Forms

• unbullying adjective

Etymology

Origin of bullying

First recorded in 1675–85; bully ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Bullying is the act of intimidating someone else. Threatening to beat up your little brother if he doesn't clean your room for you is most certainly an act of bullying. You may have heard of the word bully, which is a person, often young, who harasses others. A schoolyard bully might call you names, steal your lunch money, and generally make your life miserable. Bullying is the act of being a bully. Believe it or not, bullying can be serious business with grave consequences. There are even laws that require schools to take action against bullying.

Example Sentences

They said student interaction, social skills and behaviour had improved, while several mentioned dealing with fewer social media bullying incidents.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

But it found no evidence of "bullying" -- a charge that had been levelled at Harry by the organisation's chairperson, Sophie Chandauka, in March 2025.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The next day, Charlie and Emma begin discussing the circumstances that preceded her plan — depression, bullying, the black hole of the internet — before pausing for an appointment.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026

Meanwhile, Meta spent hours in cross examination trying to convince jurors that Kaley’s struggles were caused by other factors than social media, including a difficult family life and bullying at school.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

His mother couldn’t or wouldn’t do much about the bullying, and Frank responded by staying in the house as much as possible.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

• imperious