From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbulletbul‧let /ˈbʊlɪt/ ●●○ noun [countable] PMWa small piece of metal that you fire from a gun → shell, shot He was killed by a single bullet. a bullet wound in the shoulder Several bullet holes could be seen beside a window. → plastic bullet, → bite the bullet at bite1(9)COLLOCATIONSverbsfire a bulletPolice fired rubber bullets to break up the crowd.a bullet hits/strikes somebodyThe first bullet hit him in the back.a bullet misses somebody/somethingThe bullet narrowly missed her heart.a bullet enters somebody's chest/brain etcThere was a scar where the bullet had entered his shoulder.a bullet is lodged in somebody's chest/brain etc (=is stuck in that part of the body)Surgeons are trying to remove a bullet lodged in his neck.a bullet flies (=moves fast)Bullets were flying around our heads.a bullet whistles (=moves fast making a noise)I heard a bullet whistle past me.a bullet bounces/ricochets off something (=hits something and moves away from it again)The bullet ricocheted off a wall.put a bullet through/in somethingHe threatened to put a bullet through my brain.spray bullets (=fire a lot of bullets)The soldier lifted the machine gun and sprayed bullets through the trees.something is riddled with bullets (=something has a lot of bullets in it)The car was riddled with bullets.adjectivesa stray bullet (=one that someone fires by mistake)He was tragically killed by a stray bullet.a rubber/plastic bullet (=one made of rubber/plastic, not designed to kill)Riot police fired plastic bullets into the air.an explosive bulletAn explosive bullet is a very unpleasant weapon.bullet + NOUNa bullet woundHe died from a bullet wound to his chest.a bullet holeThere were two bullet holes in the windscreen.phrasesa hail/volley of bullets (=a lot of bullets fired all together)Officers were met by a hail of bullets from the house.
Examples from the Corpus
bullet• Bush dodged a bullet when Chavez was forced out.• Leaden Like a bullet To supplant Life from its centre.• Another bullet went through the jaw of Lieut.• Round for round plastic bullets have killed over four times as many people as their rubber predecessors.• Carrefour faltered, doubling over as the bullet caught him just below the sternum.• It was loaded with three bullets.• Shoot the bird to wake it up and switch to the straight-up bullets.bullet wound• She would die within hours from a bullet wound to her head.• While I was waiting, a customer came in with a bullet wound in his chest.• In real life, Selena ran out of that motel room with a bullet wound, and bled to death.• Of the ten animals successfully darted, nine had buckshot or bullet wounds.• Some of them also had other bullet wounds.• Seven bullet wounds, or nine, or 13, according to various accounts.• Because of the bullet wounds, the casket had been closed, which was a relief for him.• There were two bullet wounds, one on the shoulder and a deeper one behind the head.Origin bullet (1500-1600) French boulette “small ball” and boulet “bullet”, from boule “ball” 