BULLDOZE Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'bulldoze' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of bulldoze are browbeat , bully , cow , and intimidate . While all these words mean "to frighten into submission," bulldoze implies an intimidating or an overcoming of resistance usually by urgings, demands, or threats. // bulldozed the city council into approving the plan

Q: When can 'browbeat' be used instead of 'bulldoze'?

The words browbeat and bulldoze can be used in similar contexts, but browbeat implies a cowing through arrogant, scornful, or contemptuous treatment. // browbeat the witness into a contradiction

Q: In what contexts can 'bully' take the place of 'bulldoze'?

While the synonyms bully and bulldoze are close in meaning, bully implies intimidation through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior. // bullied into giving up their lunch money

Q: When is it sensible to use 'cow' instead of 'bulldoze'?

Although the words cow and bulldoze have much in common, cow implies reduction to a state where the spirit is broken or all courage is lost. // not at all cowed by the odds against making it in show business

Q: When might 'intimidate' be a better fit than 'bulldoze'?

The words intimidate and bulldoze are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another. // intimidated by so many other bright freshmen

bulldoze

verb

ˈbu̇l-ˌdōz

Definition of bulldoze next

as in to push

to force one's way bulldozed through the crowd at the arena, urgently trying to find the bathroom

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in to intimidate

to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats one of those gatherings at which high-pressure sales reps try to bulldoze naive people into buying time-shares

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bulldoze different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of bulldoze are browbeat, bully, cow, and intimidate. While all these words mean "to frighten into submission," bulldoze implies an intimidating or an overcoming of resistance usually by urgings, demands, or threats.

bulldozed the city council into approving the plan

When can browbeat be used instead of bulldoze?

The words browbeat and bulldoze can be used in similar contexts, but browbeat implies a cowing through arrogant, scornful, or contemptuous treatment.

browbeat the witness into a contradiction

In what contexts can bully take the place of bulldoze?

While the synonyms bully and bulldoze are close in meaning, bully implies intimidation through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior.

bullied into giving up their lunch money

When is it sensible to use cow instead of bulldoze?

Although the words cow and bulldoze have much in common, cow implies reduction to a state where the spirit is broken or all courage is lost.

not at all cowed by the odds against making it in show business

When might intimidate be a better fit than bulldoze?

The words intimidate and bulldoze are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another.

intimidated by so many other bright freshmen

Examples Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of bulldoze That would require persuading the U.S. Postal Service to bulldoze its parking garage adjacent to Hennepin Avenue. —

Kyle Stokes, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024 In Horse Crazy, his implacable skepticism forces the reader to consider the alienating effects of an era characterized by lethal STIs, unrepentant capitalism, bulldozed cultural history, and pervasive substance addiction. —

Daniel Felsenthal, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024 But this made employees feel as if the possibility of internal promotions were being bulldozed, and so some left. —

Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2024 Sorokin and others worry that an unrestored Marshall could easily be bulldozed into a park or a greenspace. —

Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bulldoze

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bulldoze

Verb

Winds push warm water from the eastern Pacific toward Asia, warming surface temperatures in the western Pacific.

Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
Irvington also pushed the city for a traffic signal allowing pedestrians extra time to cross before a green light at the intersection of Washington and Audubon.

Daryl Perry, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Nov. 2024