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
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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.