Bullshit Meaning
/ˈbʊlʃɪt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounFeces produced by a bull.
nounAny assertions or information that are either false or misleading., Statements that are false or exaggerated to impress or cheat the listener.
Sentence Examples
Apocryphal stories are the most fun variety of bullshit.
With all due respect, I think it's bullshit.
CEFR Practice Quiz
His explanation was complete ____ and no one believed a single word.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He knew that the whole story was just a load of complete ____ to hide.
Word Origin & History
From bull + shit. Figurative use as a noun referring to useless or untrue information is attested from the 1910s.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Oh, I get it! So it's not a pyramid, it's just pyramid-shaped. You know, like a Dorito, or an Angry Bird, or just a pile of bullshit."
— 2016 November 6, “Multilevel Marketing”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 29, John Oliver (actor), via HBO:
"Christ, we’ve done well, we’ve lost every battle so far, so we have to hold on to Tobruk and claim it as a victory or something. It’s all bullshit. Tobruk’s not worth a light."
— 1917, Ray Rigby, Jacksons War, W.H. Allen, published 1967, page 88:
"The Illusive Man: Shepard. You're making a habit of costing me more than time and money.
Shepard: I'm sorry, I'm having trouble hearing you. I'm getting a lot of bullshit on this line."
— 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC:
"“Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bullshit,’ hook, line, and sinker,” Trump wrote in a missive on Truth Social. “They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years.”"
— 2025 July 16, Kevin Liptak and Sarah Ferris, “Trump lashes out at ‘weaklings’ who believe Epstein ‘bullsh*t’ amid building GOP pressure to release documents”, in CNN:
"I focus on unclarifiable unclarity in particular in preparation for a further inquiry into bullshit that addresses the question why so much of that particular kind of bullshit is produced in France. This kind of academic bullshit […] comes close to being celebrated for its very unclarity by some of its producers and consumers."
— 2002, G.A. Cohen, “Deeper into bullshit”, in Sarah Buss, Lee Overton, editors, Contours of Agency: Essays on Themes from Harry Frankfurt, page 333:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
His explanation was complete ____ and no one believed a single word.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He knew that the whole story was just a load of complete ____ to hide.