bullet

noun

Synonyms of bulletnext
often attributive
1
: a round or elongated missile (as of lead) to be fired from a firearm
broadly : cartridge sense a
2
a
: something resembling a bullet (as in curved form)
b
: a large dot placed in printed matter to call attention to a particular passage
3
: a very fast and accurately thrown or hit object (such as a ball or puck)

Examples of bullet in a Sentence

He was killed by an assassin's bullet. Bullets were used to separate each item. The quarterback threw a bullet to the receiver.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Castro is accused of firing a gun through the front door of a Minneapolis home, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg with a bullet that lodged in a child’s bedroom wall. ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026 Five bullet casings were recovered from the scene, where Hernandez-Lopez was pronounced dead. Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 Three young people were shot — including a teen who died a day later — during a wild Bronx car meetup that ended in dozens of bullets fired after two women were robbed, police said Monday. Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026 As Mizzou waits for Ahmad Hardy to recover from a bullet wound from a May shooting, his running mate Jamal Roberts returns with several transfers in the room like Xai’shaun Edwards and Malae Fonoti. Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bullet

Word History

Etymology

Middle French boulette small ball & boulet missile, diminutives of boule ball — more at bowl

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bullet was in 1579

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bullet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bullet. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

1
: a usually cone-shaped lead pellet fixed in the front of a firearms cartridge
2
a
: something like a bullet
b
: a large dot used in print to call attention to a particular passage
3
: a very fast and accurately thrown or hit object (as a ball)
Etymology

from early French boulette "small ball" and boulet "something thrown or shot," from boule "ball," from Latin bulla "bubble" — related to boil, bowl

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