bulldoze

[bool-dohz]

verb (used with object)

bulldozed, bulldozing 

1. to clear, level, or reshape the contours of (land) by or as if by using a bulldozer.

   to bulldoze a building site.

2. to clear away by or as if by using a bulldozer.

   to bulldoze trees from a site.

3. to coerce or intimidate, as with threats.

   Synonyms: dragoon, hector, bully, cow, browbeat

verb (used without object)

bulldozed, bulldozing 

1. to use a bulldozer.

   to clear this rubble away we may have to bulldoze.

2. to advance or force one's way in the manner of a bulldozer.

bulldoze

/ ˈbʊlˌdəʊz /

verb

1. to move, demolish, flatten, etc, with a bulldozer

2. informal,  to force; push

   he bulldozed his way through the crowd

3. informal,  to intimidate or coerce

Word History and Origins

Origin of bulldoze¹

1875–80, origin uncertain; the notion that it represents a verb use of bull dose, i.e., a dose fit for a bull, is probably without merit; bulldoze defs. 1, 2, 4, 5 are back formations from bulldozer in the sense “tractor”

Word History and Origins

Origin of bulldoze¹

C19: probably from _bull ¹ + _dose

Example Sentences

“When a trashy tacky reality tv criminal bulldozes the White House Rose Garden to make a patio-styled food court for himself,” one X user wrote.

From Salon

Decades ago, she’d married into a ranching and timber family, and a chunk of the forest she owned was bulldozed for a transmission line.

From Salon

"They said you need to pack it up or they are going to bulldoze it. They didn't come for talking, it was go, go, go," Mr Theodie said.

From BBC

My sense is that Leo has learned to curb his enthusiasm and learned that power isn’t necessarily in bulldozing into a situation.

From Los Angeles Times

L.A. is frequently seen as a place of destruction, where the past is bulldozed and forgotten and then trivialized and romanticized.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• flatten 
• raze 
• shove 

When To Use

What does bulldoze mean?

To bulldoze is to clear, level, or push debris away from an area using a bulldozer—a large tractor that has a big, blade-like shovel at the front and moves around using metal tracks over wheels.Sometimes, bulldoze can mean to clear an area in this way even if a bulldozer isn’t used.Bulldoze can also be used figuratively, meaning to move forward or advance in an aggressive or forceful way. This can be physical, as in He just bulldozed his way to the goal by pushing through three defenders, or through an aggressive attitude, as in Instead of cooperating with his colleagues, he just bulldozes his way through tasks until he gets what he wants. This sense of the word likens such behavior to the way that a bulldozer powerfully clears everything in its path.However, before its association with the construction vehicle, bulldoze originally meant to intimidate, such as with threats of violence. Early records of this use refer to violent attacks, especially whipping, against African Americans by white people in the Southern United States. However, the origin of these words, and how bulldozer came to be a name for a type of tractor, is ultimately unclear.The verb doze can be used as a short way of saying bulldoze, as in We need to doze this whole area or She dozes through every obstacle that’s put in her way.