bullet

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A usually metal projectile in the shape of a pointed cylinder or a ball that is expelled from a firearm, especially a rifle or handgun.
2. n. Such a projectile in a metal casing; a cartridge.
3. n. An object resembling a projectile in shape, action, or effect.
4. n. Printing A heavy dot ( · ) used to highlight a particular passage.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A small ball.
2. n. Specifically—2. A small metallic projectile intended to be discharged from a firearm: commonly limited to leaden projectiles for small arms. Bullets were formerly always spherical in form, but many changes have been made in them in both shape and structure. The bullet used for rifles of recent construction is elongated and conical, or rather ogival, at the apex, somewhat like half an egg drawn out, with a hollow at the base, into which a plug of wood or clay is inserted, and with small cuts (cannelures) in the metal outside, which are filled with beeswax to lubricate the barrel while the bullet is passing through it. When the gun is fired the plug is driven forward to the head of the cavity, forcing the base of the bullet outward till the lead completely fills the grooves in the rifled barrel. The plug is often omitted, the base of the bullet being forced into the grooves by the expansive force of the powder.
3. n. In heraldry, a roundel sable (that is, a black circle), supposed to represent a cannon-ball.
4. n. In poker, an ace: as, a pair of bullets.

Wiktionary

1. n. A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed.
2. n. Ammunition for a sling or slingshot which has been manufactured for such use.
3. n. typography A printed symbol in the form of solid circle, (•), often used for marking items in a list. (see also bulleted)
4. n. informal An entire round of unfired ammunition for a firearm, including the projectile, the cartridge casing, the propellant charge, etc.
5. n. banking, finance A large scheduled repayment of the principal of a loan; a balloon payment.
6. n. A rejection letter, as for employment, admission to a school or a competition.
7. n. slang One year of prison time
8. n. slang An ace (the playing card).
9. n. figuratively Anything that is projected extremely fast.
10. n. Very fast (speedy).
11. n. obsolete A small ball.
12. n. obsolete A cannonball.
13. n. obsolete The fetlock of a horse.
14. v. transitive, informal To draw attention to (text) by, or as if by, placing a graphic bullet in front of it.
15. v. intransitive, informal To speed, like a bullet.
16. v. transitive, informal To make a shot, especially with great speed.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A small ball.
2. n. A missile, usually of lead, and round or elongated in form, to be discharged from a rifle, musket, pistol, or other small firearm.
3. n. obsolete A cannon ball.
4. n. The fetlock of a horse.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a projectile that is fired from a gun
2. n. (baseball) a pitch thrown with maximum velocity
3. n. a high-speed passenger train