bully pulpit
noun
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Bully vs Bully Pulpit
Bully pulpit comes from the 26th U.S. president, Theodore Roosevelt, who observed that his time in office at the White House was a bully pulpit when he said, “I suppose my critics will call that preaching, but I have got such a bully pulpit!” For Roosevelt, bully was an adjective meaning “excellent” or “first-rate”—not today's familiar noun bully referring to an abusive meanie. Roosevelt understood the modern presidency’s power of persuasion and recognized that it gave the incumbent the opportunity to exhort, instruct, or inspire. He took full advantage of his bully pulpit, speaking out about the danger of monopolies, the nation’s growing role as a world power, and other issues important to him. Since the 1960s, bully pulpit has been used as a term for a public position—especially a political office—that provides one with the opportunity to widely share one’s views.
Examples of bully pulpit in a Sentence
Armond White, National Review, 8 May 2024
And to use America’s precious megaphone, the bully pulpit, to alter or reverse our basic values is equally transformational.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 6 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for bully pulpit 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bully pulpit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Bully pulpit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bully%20pulpit. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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