bulldoze
bulldoze Lexical Profile
bulldoze Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To clear, level, or demolish (ground, trees, or buildings) using a heavy tractor fitted with a broad metal blade.
"The developer plans to bulldoze the abandoned warehouse to make room for a new community park."
To force one's way aggressively or insensitively through an obstacle, crowd, or opposition.
"The fullback managed to bulldoze his way through the defensive line to score the winning touchdown."
To coerce, intimidate, or pressure someone ruthlessly into doing something or accepting a decision.
"The committee chair tried to bulldoze the members into approving the budget without a proper debate."
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in 19th-century American English, originally as "bulldose" (meaning a severe "dose" of whipping fit for a bull) used to describe the violent intimidation of voters in the Reconstruction-era South. The literal sense of clearing land developed in the 1930s as a back-formation from "bulldozer."