bullet

American  

[bool-it] / ˈbʊl ɪt /

noun

1. a small metal projectile, part of a cartridge, for firing from small arms.

2. a cartridge.

3. a small ball.

4. Printing. a heavy dot for marking paragraphs or otherwise calling attention to or itemizing particular sections of text, especially in display advertising.

5. Cards. an ace.

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verb (used without object)

bulleted, bulleting

1. to move swiftly.

idioms

1. bite the bullet, to force oneself to perform a painful, difficult task or to endure an unpleasant situation.

   We'll just have to bite the bullet and pay higher taxes.

bullet British  

/ ˈbʊlɪt /

noun

1. 1. a small metallic missile enclosed in a cartridge, used as the projectile of a gun, rifle, etc

   2. the entire cartridge

2. something resembling a bullet, esp in shape or effect

3. stock exchange a fixed interest security with a single maturity date

4. commerce a security that offers a fixed interest and matures on a fixed date

5. commerce

   1. the final repayment of a loan that repays the whole of the sum borrowed, as interim payments have been for interest only

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bullet loan

6. slang dismissal, sometimes without notice (esp in the phrases get or give the bullet )

7. printing See centred dot

8. See bite

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bullet More Idioms  

1. see bite the bullet; sweat bullets.

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Other Word Forms

• bullet-like adjective
• bulletless adjective
• bulletlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of bullet

1550–60; < Middle French boullette, equivalent to boulle ball ( bowl ² ) + -ette -ette

Example Sentences

It's an expensive golden bullet to bring down a relatively cheap fibreglass drone.

From BBC

Even cheap missiles, though, are more expensive than some other ways of countering drones, including signal jamming, bullets and using other UAVs to smash into enemy vehicles.

From The Wall Street Journal

California’s bullet train, now under construction in Fresno, may one day carry passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco, a distance of about 400 miles.

From Los Angeles Times

"In being the industry's vanguard we have taken a lot of bullets in a battle which is only in the early days of paying off for ourselves and all developers," Sweeney said.

From BBC

The head of Europe's video game rating system, PEGI, has warned against supposed "silver bullet" child protection solutions such as age verification, in an interview with AFP.

From Barron's

Related Words

• ammunition
• ball
• cartridge
• pellet
• projectile
• rocket
• round
• shot
• slug