Phrase guide

bully pulpit

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌbʊli ˈpʊlpɪt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /-ˈpʌl-/
  • General-American: /ˌbʊli ˈpʊlpɪt/
  • General-American: /-ˈpʌl-/
  • General-American: /-ˈpəlpət/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An advantageous position from which to express one's views, especially a political office.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US

Topics: government, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a public office of sufficiently high rank that it provides the holder with an opportunity to speak out and be listened to on any matter

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the American presidency is a bully pulpit

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: public office

History

Etymology

From bully (“(US, slang) very good”) + pulpit (“raised desk, lectern, or platform for an orator or public speaker”), said to have been coined by the United States President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) who used the term to refer to his office, by which he meant a terrific platform from which one can advocate an agenda: see the 1909 quotation.