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English UsageComparison guide

Bully Someone Into Doing vs. Bully Someone To Do

Cambridge directly documents bully + object + into + -ing for forcing a person to act by using power, strength, or fear. Bully can also take a direct object without naming the forced action, so into + -ing is specifically the documented pattern when the action itself is expressed.

ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer

Use “bully someone into doing something” for the directly documented action complement; do not treat “bully someone to do” as an equally established parallel on this evidence.

Key details

Confusion Familygrammar-and-usage distinction
Rule Familyverb-complement and object pattern
TermsBully Someone Into Doing, Bully Someone To Do

Choose the right form

Decision table for Bully Someone Into Doing vs. Bully Someone To Do
Meaning / situationConstructionDecision
pressure a person by bullying so an action resultsbully + person + into + -inguse the directly documented complement
proposed infinitive alternativebully + person + to-infinitivedo not present as an equivalent rule on this evidence

Quick tests

Complement test

Are you naming what the person was bullied into doing?

If yes: Use “bully someone into doing something.”

If no: If the sentence only names the target of bullying, no action complement is required.

Caveat: This page covers complement choice and does not make factual claims about any real person or event.

Examples

Example

They bullied him into handing over the password.

“Into + -ing” expresses the resulting action.

Example

She was bullied into leaving the group.

The passive preserves the same construction.

Incorrect

They bullied him to hand over the password.

Better: They bullied him into handing over the password.

Use the reviewed “into + -ing” construction for this meaning.

Further guidance

Boundary

Bully can also take a direct object without naming the forced action, so into + -ing is specifically the documented pattern when the action itself is expressed.

Construction

Cambridge directly documents bully + object + into + -ing for forcing a person to act by using power, strength, or fear.

Decision

Use “bully someone into doing something” for the directly documented action complement; do not treat “bully someone to do” as an equally established parallel on this evidence.

Sources and evidence

Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.

  1. bully — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Bully + object + into + -ing construction

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Argue Someone Into Doing vs. Argue Someone To Do

Oxford directly documents “argue somebody into doing something” for persuading somebody by giving reasons. The cited construction evidence directly supports into + -ing; it does not license “argue someone to do” as an equivalent complement pattern.

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When ask means request an action from a person, Cambridge documents ask + person + to-infinitive. Bare “ask doing” is not the ordinary request complement for that meaning.

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Badger Someone Into Doing vs. Badger Someone To Do

Cambridge directly documents both badger + object + into + -ing and badger + object + to-infinitive for repeated pressure or requests that push someone toward an action. The verb also covers repeated questioning, so context must show whether the sentence is about persistent persuasion or interrogation rather than assuming every use names a requested action.

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Bamboozle Someone Into Doing vs. Bamboozle Someone To Do

Cambridge directly illustrates bamboozle + object + into + -ing for deceiving someone so that the person takes an action. The cited entry does not establish bamboozle + object + to-infinitive as an equally documented alternative, so this guide does not manufacture a two-way rule.

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Beg Someone To Do vs. Beg Doing

Cambridge explicitly documents beg + object + to-infinitive for an urgent request and also records beg for + noun and other request patterns. A following -ing form may appear elsewhere in a sentence, but it is not the ordinary replacement for the documented object + to-infinitive request construction.

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Beguile Someone Into Doing vs. Beguile Someone To Do

Cambridge gives direct evidence for beguile someone into doing something in the literary persuade/attract/deceive sense. The cited entry supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish beguile + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.

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