Adjacent Words

bulldoze definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: flatten with or as if with a bulldozer

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: perhaps from ¹bull + alteration of dose Date: 1876 transitive verb 1. to coerce or restrain by threats ; bully 2. to move, clear, gouge out, or level off by pushing with or as if with a bulldozer 3. to force insensitively or ruthlessly <bulldozed the program through the legislature> intransitive verb 1. to operate a bulldozer 2. to force one's way like a bulldozer Synonyms: see intimidate

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 clear with a bulldozer. 2 colloq. a intimidate. b make (one's way) forcibly.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bulldoze Bull"doze`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bulldozed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bulldozing.] To intimidate; to restrain or coerce by intimidation or violence; -- used originally of the intimidation of negro voters, in Louisiana. [Slang, U.S.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bulldozes, bulldozing, bulldozed) 1. If people bulldoze something such as a building, they knock it down using a bulldozer. She defeated developers who wanted to bulldoze her home to build a supermarket. VERB: V n 2. If people bulldoze earth, stone, or other heavy material, they move it using a bulldozer. Last week, the department's road builders began to bulldoze a water meadow on Twyford Down. VERB: V n 3. If someone bulldozes a plan through or bulldozes another person into doing something, they get what they want in an unpleasantly forceful way. The party in power planned to bulldoze through a full socialist programme... The coalition bulldozed the resolution through the plenary session... My parents tried to bulldoze me into going to college. VERB: V n with through, V n through n, V n into n/-ing, also V n [disapproval]

Moby Thesaurus

assault, be imminent, bear, bear upon, beat down, blackjack, blank, blow down, bludgeon, bluster, bluster out of, boost, bounce, break, break down, bring down, browbeat, buck, bull, bully, bullyrag, bump, bump against, bunt, burn down, butt, butt against, cast down, castrate, chop down, clamp down on, clobber, coerce, comminate, compel, cow, cram, cream, crowd, cut down, daunt, defeat utterly, demoralize, denounce, despotize, dig, domineer, domineer over, dragoon, drive, elbow, enslave, fell, flatten, force, forebode, goad, grind, grind down, harass, harry, hector, henpeck, hijack, huff, hurtle, hustle, intimidate, jab, jam, jog, joggle, jolt, jostle, keep down, keep under, knock down, knock over, level, look threatening, lord it over, lower, menace, mow down, nudge, oppress, overawe, overbear, overmaster, override, overwhelm, paste, pile drive, poke, press, press heavy on, prod, prostrate, pull down, punch, push, ram, ram down, rase, rattle, raze, repress, ride over, ride roughshod over, run, run against, schmear, shake, shanghai, shellac, shoulder, shove, shut out, skunk, smash, smear, snow under, steamroller, stress, strong-arm, subjugate, suppress, systematically terrorize, take down, tamp, tear down, terrorize, threaten, throw down, thrust, trample down, trample upon, tread down, tread upon, tyrannize, tyrannize over, unman, use violence, utter threats against, walk all over, walk over, warn, weigh heavy on, whelm, whitewash, whomp, whop