What does bulldoze mean?
To bulldoze is to demolish, level, or clear something — typically a building, wall, or area of ground — using a bulldozer or other heavy earthmoving equipment. The word also carries a well-established figurative sense: to bulldoze someone is to coerce or intimidate them into compliance through sheer forcefulness, as when a person is bulldozed into accepting an unfavorable deal. The term originated in nineteenth-century America, where "bulldozing" referred to intimidating violence, notably voter suppression in the post-Civil War South, and it predated the bulldozer machine itself; the machine was later named after the practice rather than the reverse. Today the literal construction sense dominates everyday usage, appearing constantly in reporting on urban development and demolition, while the figurative sense connotes bullying and steamrolling behavior and carries distinctly negative connotations.
verbTo demolish or clear something (such as a building or terrain) using a bulldozer or similar heavy machinery; figuratively, to coerce or bully someone through aggressive, intimidating pressure.
- To level, demolish, or clear land or structures using a bulldozer.
- To force or intimidate someone into doing something through aggressive pressure.
"The city bulldozed the derelict warehouses to make way for a new riverside park."
"Crews bulldozed the old stadium to clear space for housing."
"He felt bulldozed into signing the contract by his pushy colleagues."
"Bulldoze" began as "bull-dose" — a dose of punishment strong enough for a bull — before the machine that gave it its modern name even existed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bulldoze
Bulldoze emerged in the United States in the 1870s as "bull-dose," meaning a dose of whipping or intimidation severe enough for a bull — essentially an intensified form of "dose." It quickly became associated with coercive violence, including political intimidation in the Reconstruction-era South. When tracked bulldozers were developed in the early twentieth century, the machine took its name from this established verb, not the other way round. The only genuine etymological relative is "dose" itself, from Greek "dosis" via Latin.
Related word forms
How bulldoze is actually used
The physical demolition sense is now the dominant one; the coercive sense, which is historically older, survives mainly in figurative and somewhat informal usage, often in passive constructions like "bulldozed into" doing something.
Easily confused with bulldoze
"Doze" means to sleep lightly, while "bulldoze" means to demolish with heavy machinery or to coerce aggressively.