hulk

1 of 2

noun

ˈhəlk 

1

a

: a heavy clumsy ship

b(1)

: the body of an old ship unfit for service

(2)

: a ship used as a prison

—usually used in plural

every prisoner sent to the hulks

—Kenneth Roberts

c

: an abandoned wreck or shell (as of a building or automobile)

2

: one that is bulky or unwieldy

hulk

2 of 2

verb

hulked; hulking; hulks

intransitive verb

1

dialectal, England : to move ponderously

2

: to appear impressively large or massive : loom

factories hulked along the river

Synonyms

Noun

• clod
• clodhopper
• gawk
• lout
• lubber
• lug
• lump
• Neanderthal
• oaf
• palooka

Examples of hulk in a Sentence

Noun

The ship's rusting hulk is still visible on the rocks.

the burned out hulk of the factory

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

At the chaotic ape colony on the beach, rusting hulks of massive ships loom out of blue waters, contrasting with red sails and white sand. —Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024

This hulk of metal, a deepwater platform called Appomattox and owned by Shell, collects the oil and gas that rigs tap from reservoirs thousands of feet below the seafloor. —Ivan Penn, New York Times, 3 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English hulke, from Old English hulc, probably from Medieval Latin holcas, from Greek holkas, from helkein to pull — more at sulcus

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

hulk

1 of 2 noun

ˈhəlk 

1

a

: a heavy clumsy ship

b

: the body of an old ship unfit for service or of an abandoned wreck

2

: a bulky or clumsy person or thing

hulk

2 of 2 verb

: to appear impressively large

factories hulking along the river

hulking

ˈhəl-kiŋ

adjective