bulge

¹bulge

verb \ˈbəlj also ˈbu̇lj\

bulgedbulg·ing

Definition of BULGE

transitive verb

: to cause to bulge

intransitive verb

1

archaic : bilge

2

a : to jut out : swell b : to bend outward c : to become swollen or protuberant <bulging eyes>

3

: to be filled to overflowing <a notebook bulging with ideas>

Examples of BULGE

1. His face turned white and his eyes bulged.
2. middle-aged people bulging at the waist
3. Their bags bulged with books and papers.
4. The squirrel's cheeks were bulging with nuts.
5. a notebook bulging with ideas

Origin of BULGE

Middle English bolgen

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to BULGE

Synonyms: bag, balloon, beetle, belly, billow, bunch, jut, overhang, poke, pooch [chiefly dialect], pouch, pout, project, protrude, stand out, start, stick out, swell

Related Words: dome; blow up, inflate; dilate, distend, expand; mushroom, snowball; elongate, extend, lengthen, stretch

Near Antonyms: compress, condense, constrict, contract, shrink

see all synonyms and antonyms

[+]more[-]hide