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take the bull by the horns

bull
T t

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [boo l]
    • /teɪk stressed ði bʊl baɪ stressed ði hɔːrn/
    • /teɪk ðə bʊl baɪ ðə hɔːn/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [boo l]
    • /teɪk stressed ði bʊl baɪ stressed ði hɔːrn/

Definitions of take the bull by the horns words

  • noun take the bull by the horns the male of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos, with sexual organs intact and capable of reproduction. 1
  • noun take the bull by the horns the male of certain other animals, as the elephant and moose. 1
  • noun take the bull by the horns a large, solidly built person. 1
  • noun take the bull by the horns a person who believes that market prices, especially of stocks, will increase (opposed to bear). 1
  • noun take the bull by the horns (initial capital letter) Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Taurus. 1
  • noun take the bull by the horns a bulldog. 1
See all 18 definitions of take the bull by the horns

Information block about the term

Origin of take the bull by the horns

First appearance:

before 1150
One of the 7% oldest English words
1150-1200; Middle English bule, Old English bula; akin to Old Norse boli; see bullock

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Take the bull by the horns

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Take the bull by the horns

take the bull by the horns popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 97% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

Synonyms for take the bull by the horns

verb take the bull by the horns

  • buckle down — If you buckle down to something, you start working seriously at it.
  • cross the rubicon — If you say that someone has crossed the Rubicon, you mean that they have reached a point where they cannot change a decision or course of action.
  • deal with — When you deal with something or someone that needs attention, you give your attention to them, and often solve a problem or make a decision concerning them.
  • face — the front part of the head, from the forehead to the chin.
  • go against — to move or proceed, especially to or from something: They're going by bus.
All 10 Synonyms of take the bull by the horns

See also

Matching words

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