bullying
noun
bul·ly·ing
| \ ˈbu̇-lē-iŋ
, ˈbə-\
, ˈbə-\
Definition of bullying
(Entry 1 of 2)
: abuse and mistreatment of someone vulnerable by someone stronger, more powerful, etc. : the actions and behavior of a bully
Her own childhood had been made miserable by bullying …— Michael Holroyd … underestimates the plain meanness behind the pleasure people take in bullying.— George F. Will
bullying
adjectiveDefinition of bullying (Entry 2 of 2)
: prone to or characterized by overbearing mistreatment and domination of others
… dominated the program but did so in a bullying manner that made him appear crabbier and more churlish than ever.— Tom Shales At his worst, he was just another loud, boorish, bullying … drunk …— Bartholomew Gill The bullying husband is … living out a way of being that he learned at home as a child.— Robert Karen
Examples of bullying in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Spencer immediately received backlash for a comment that seemed dismissive of male dancers, and she was even accused of bullying. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, "300 dancers show up in Times Square as Lara Spencer apologizes for Prince George ballet comment," 27 Aug. 2019 His innocent choices, such as his colorful clothes, prove a constant source of bullying. — Jasmine Gomez, Seventeen, "The "Stranger Things"'s Creators May Have Just Revealed Whether Will Byers is Gay," 19 Aug. 2019 For every 1,000 students in the county schools, there were nine reports of bullying — compared to 4.4 reported incidents in Baltimore City and 6.7 in Howard County. — Talia Richman, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore County's new school superintendent eager to learn, collaborate to improve district's future," 1 July 2019 The Republican silence is perhaps to be expected given the cravenness of Republican politicians in the face of Trump's bullying. — Jeffrey Sachs For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "Trump is smashing the rules of global trade while Congress stays silent," 28 Aug. 2019 Several prominent schools have made headlines that revealed troubling behavior from some of their white students, including videos of students with racist symbols, and bullying behaviors are escalating. — Ellen Mcgirt, Fortune, "Business Needs a New Perspective: raceAhead," 26 Aug. 2019 Ellen Degeneres and P!nk have denounced attacks and bullying of Meghan and Harry. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Private Jet Usage Is Being Criticized for Environmental Reasons," 20 Aug. 2019 Yang became the target of Internet bullying and deleted her personal Web site and social-media accounts. — Han Zhang, The New Yorker, "The “Post-Truth” Publication Where Chinese Students in America Get Their News," 19 Aug. 2019 Loose pucks The Sports Museum, dogged in its efforts to tamp down bullying in schools and playing fields, on Monday will stage its annual golf tournament at Andover CC. — Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, "Checking in on the Bruins’ Kevan Miller," 17 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bullying.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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