Sign In Get Started
Prepositions after verbs

Bully by vs bully in

Bully is usually used without these prepositions. Bully by and bully in are not standard combinations for the main meaning of the verb.

Quick answer

Are bully by and bully in correct?

For the common meaning of intimidate or mistreat, bully is normally used without by or in. You can use by or in separately as part of another phrase in the sentence.

Older students bullied him at school.
She was bullied by her classmates.
He tried to bully the staff into silence.
They were bullied in public meetings.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
bully + person

Mistreat or intimidate someone

Bully is commonly transitive and takes a direct object.

Some children bullied their classmates.
2
bully + person + into + action

Force someone to do something

Use bully into to describe pressure or intimidation leading to an action.

They bullied him into signing the contract.
3
be bullied by + person/group

Use the passive form

By introduces the person doing the bullying in passive sentences.

She was bullied by older students.
4
bullied in + place

Add a place expression

In can introduce a location, but it is not selected by bully itself.

He was bullied in the locker room.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
bully by
She was bullied by her neighbours.
correct only in passive structures where by introduces the agent
bully in
He was bullied in school.
in introduces a location, not a fixed verb-preposition combination
bully into
They bullied her into agreeing.
force someone to do something through intimidation
bully + object
Stop bullying younger students.
the standard transitive use of bully

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Adding by after active bully

Bully does not normally take by in active sentences.

✕ They bullied by the new student. ✓ They bullied the new student.

Treating bully in as a fixed phrase

In usually adds location information only.

✕ He bullied in his coworkers. ✓ He bullied his coworkers.

Missing into before an action

Use into before a verb ending in -ing.

✕ They bullied her signing the form. ✓ They bullied her into signing the form.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The manager tried to ___ the staff into accepting the changes.
2. She was bullied ___ older students.
3. He was bullied ___ school for years.

Check your sentence in context

Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Free to try · No signup required

Frequently asked questions

Is bully by a standard phrase?

No. By is usually part of a passive structure such as bullied by classmates.

Can bully be followed by in?

Only when in introduces a place, such as bullied in school.

What is a common pattern with bully?

A common pattern is bully someone into doing something.

back-by-away-out-in, up backfire on, in, as, at or with? backtrack on, to, in, after or by? "baffle by" or "baffle as"? "bake in" or "bake for"? balance by, in, on, with or between? ban from, in, for, by or on? "bang on" or "bang for"? "banish from" or "banish to"? baptize in, by, into, with or on? "bargain for" or "bargain with"? "bark at" or "bark in"?

Write with confidence in Linguix

Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.

Create a free account