bull's-eye

[ boolz-ahy ]

noun

, plural bull's-eyes.

1. the circular spot, usually black or outlined in black, at the center of a target marked with concentric circles and used in target practice.
2. a shot that hits this.
3. the center or central area of a military target, as of a town or factory, in a bombing raid.
4. a missile that strikes the central area of a target.
5. the coordinates or instance of aiming and firing a missile that results in its hitting the center of a target.
6. Informal.
   1. any statement or act that is precisely to the point or achieves a desired result directly.
   2. something that is decisive or crucial; crux.
7. a small circular opening or window.
8. a thick disk or lenslike piece of glass inserted in a roof, ship's deck, etc., to admit light.
9. Optics. a lens of short focal length.
10. a lantern equipped with a lens of this sort.
11. Nautical. an oval or circular wooden block having a groove around it and a hole in the center, through which to reeve a rope.
12. Meteorology. (formerly) the eye of a storm.
13. a large, round piece of peppermint-flavored hard candy.

bull's-eye

noun

1. the small central disc of a target, usually the highest valued area
2. a shot hitting this
3. informal.
   something that exactly achieves its aim
4. a small circular or oval window or opening
5. a thick disc of glass set into a ship's deck, etc, to admit light
6. the glass boss at the centre of a sheet of blown glass
7. 1. a small thick plano-convex lens used as a condenser
   2. a lamp or lantern containing such a lens
8. a peppermint-flavoured, usually striped, boiled sweet
9. nautical a circular or oval wooden block with a groove around it for the strop of a shroud and a hole at its centre for a line Compare deadeye
10. meteorol the eye or centre of a cyclone

Other Words From

• bull's-eyed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bull's-eye¹

First recorded in 1680–90

Example Sentences

And while rain continued to fall in some northern portions of the state on Monday, Ms. Hochul said the “bull's-eye” of the storm had moved northeast.

From New York Times

Never before has one of the world’s largest nuclear facilities fallen into the bull's-eye of a large-scale war.

From New York Times

“And after doing many measurements, we hit the bull's-eye,” said another of the study’s authors, Fabian Klenner, who is now an astrobiologist at the University of Washington.

From New York Times

There was a lot more with Mohammed's character I wanted to show — here is a man who fought a country, and now has a bull's-eye on his back.

From Salon

“I remember my editor saying: ‘If there’s one scene that’s got a bull's-eye on it, it’s this one,’” Johnstone said, even suggesting there were moments he was losing faith.

From New York Times

Related Words

• center
• dead center
• omphalos