a bull in a china shop

noun phrase

: a person who breaks things or who often makes mistakes or causes damage in situations that require careful thinking or behavior

As a politician, he was a bull in a china shop and often had to apologize for his rough speech.

Examples of a bull in a china shop in a Sentence

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.

Whether or not Brooks is an alcoholic who has borrowed from her entire wardrobe is irrelevant; Raffi is now a bull in a china shop, arguing with cameramen, crew, and producers in a misguided attempt to defend his wife. —

Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 16 July 2024 But Bates refrained from acting like a bull in a china shop. —

Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 26 June 2024 The agency is acting like a bull in a china shop trying to rearrange the shelves. —

Christopher Mohr, Orange County Register, 4 June 2024 The news outlet was provided with examples of Sora’s generations of a mermaid with a smartphone and a bull in a china shop. —

Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 17 Mar. 2024 While Musk’s disruptive approach wreaks havoc and drives advertisers away like a bull in a china shop, Yaccarino has been left to pick up the pieces. —

Bykylie Robison, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023

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“A bull in a china shop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20bull%20in%20a%20china%20shop. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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