bullet

noun

ˈbu̇-lət How to pronounce bullet (audio)
Definition of bulletnext
as in ball
a usually round or cone-shaped little piece of lead made to be fired from a firearm it is possible to make your own bullets, but it takes a lot of patience and some extra money

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bullet Holed up in Diane Taverner’s (Kristin Scott Thomas) seaside cottage and the surrounding beach, the Horses wage war against the dueling factions, with onetime faithful Dog Flyte (Ruth Bradley) taking a bullet on the beach. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 There’s a level of seriousness that belies the 90-minute comedy film he’s made, which features an imbecilic white rapper who speaks in Caribbean-British slang and a contraption that shoots bullets out of one’s rear end. — Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 Reidman’s database includes incidents in which in a gun is fired, brandished or in which a bullet strikes K-12 school property. — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 The video shows one bullet struck the windshield on the driver’s side of the patrol vehicle. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bullet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bullet
  1. ball
  2. ammunition
  3. shell
  4. cartridge
  5. pellet
Noun
  • The 6-foot-9 forward who signed a veteran minimum contract showed willingness to pick up opposing ball-handlers full court.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • LeBron James #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks the ball during the third quarter of the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 20, 2026 in New York City.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of ball
Noun
  • Carrying several rockets lets the aircraft conduct multiple engagements in one sortie, though the number of successful interceptions will depend on the targets, engagement conditions, and available ammunition.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The Ukrainian leader has pleaded with Washington to supply more Patriot air-defense ammunition to stop the missiles, and to heap more sanctions on Russia to pressure Moscow to pursue peace.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of ammunition
Noun
  • Why tooth enamel can’t grow back Think of enamel as your teeth’s armor, a hard outer shell that protects them from chewing, acids, temperature changes and everyday wear and tear.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Deputies responding to the scene found 10 spent 9 mm shell casings and one live round of ammunition.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of shell
Noun
  • The real difference is its physical hardware, particularly the keyboard and cartridge slot.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Oct. 2026
  • However, prosecutors later said the cartridge is the second-most popular rifle round in the country and SLED had entered more than 700 cases involving the weapon into its database since 2021, the defense wrote.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of cartridge
Noun
  • While the broader Columbia facility has operated since 1968 producing pellets, rods, and complete assemblies, mass production of LEU+ marks a technical shift.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
  • There will be live owl demonstrations, a garden tour and open house, arts and crafts, drop-in educational activities like owl pellet dissection and a bird scavenger hunt, and plenty of other hands-on and family-friendly fun, Audubon said.
    — Jonathan Shikes, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of pellet

Phrases Containing bullet

Browse Nearby Words

bulled
bullet
bulletin
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bullet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bullet. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bullet

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bullet

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All