bullseye

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   the small circular center of a target, which gives the highest score when hit

   Grammar: Countable: one bullseye, two bullseyes; often used with 'hit' or 'miss'.

   Patterns

   • hit the bullseye
   • miss the bullseye
   • aim at the bullseye

   She aimed carefully and hit the bullseye on her first try.

   The dart landed just outside the bullseye, so he only scored twenty-five.

   The target has a red bullseye in the middle.

2. 2nouncountable

   a shot or throw that hits the center of a target

   Grammar: Countable; often used in sports like archery and darts.

   Patterns

   • score a bullseye
   • shoot a bullseye
   • get a bullseye

   He scored a bullseye with his last arrow and won the match.

   The crowd cheered when she threw a bullseye.

3. 3nouncountableBritish

   a hard, round, peppermint-flavored candy, usually with a white center and a dark outside

   Grammar: Countable; common in British English. In American English, similar candies are often called 'peppermint drops'.

   Patterns

   • suck a bullseye
   • a bag of bullseyes

   Grandma always kept a tin of bullseyes in her handbag.

   He sucked on a bullseye while reading the newspaper.

4. 4nouncountablefigurativeinformal

   a very accurate or successful action or guess

   Grammar: Countable; often used figuratively to mean a perfect hit or correct answer.

   Patterns

   • be a bullseye
   • hit a bullseye
   • score a bullseye

   Your prediction about the election was a bullseye.

   The ad campaign was a bullseye — sales doubled in a month.

Word forms

Common combinations

hit the bullseye

She hit the bullseye with her first dart.

miss the bullseye

He missed the bullseye by a few millimeters.

aim at the bullseye

The archer aimed at the bullseye and released the string.

a bullseye on a target

There was a red bullseye on the target.

Synonyms and how they differ

center

More general; 'center' can refer to the middle of any object, while 'bullseye' specifically means the target's scoring center.

target

Refers to the whole object aimed at, not just the central circle.

Word family

bull's-eye noun

Alternative spelling of 'bullseye', especially for the candy in British English.

Commonly confused: bullseye or bullish?

Practice

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