bull

Universal Words noun 1 [C] the male of any animal in the cow family: a bull neck (= a short thick neck like a bull's) compareBULLOCK, COW, OX, STEER 2 [C] the male of the elephant, WHALE and some other large animals compareCOW 3 [C] (finance) a person who buys shares in a company, hoping to sell them soon afterwards at a higher price: a bull market (= a situation in which share prices are rising) compareBEAR 4 [C] an official order or statement from the POPE (= the head of the Roman Catholic Church): a papal bull 5 [U] (slang) = BULLSHIT: That's a load of bull! 6 [C] = BULLSEYE seealsoCOCKANDBULLSTORY IDIOMS a bull in a china shop a person who is careless, or who moves or acts in a rough or awkward way, in a place or situation where skill and care are needed: You're not going to go storming in there like a bull in a china shop, are you? take the bull by the horns to face a difficult or dangerous situation directly and with courage: Nora decided to take the bull by the horns and organize things for herself. moreatREDadj., SHOOTv.