hull

1 of 2

noun

ˈhəl 

1

a

: the outer covering of a fruit or seed

b

: the persistent calyx or involucre that subtends some fruits (such as a strawberry)

2

a

: the frame or body of a ship or boat exclusive of masts, yards, sails, and rigging

b

: the main body of a usually large or heavy craft or vehicle (such as an airship or tank)

3

: covering, casing

hull-less

ˈhəl-ləs 

adjective

hull

2 of 2

verb

hulled; hulling; hulls

transitive verb

: to remove the hulls of : shuck

huller noun

Synonyms

Noun

• armor
• capsule
• case
• casing
• cocoon
• cover
• covering
• encasement
• housing
• husk
• jacket
• pod
• sheath
• shell

Verb

• bark
• flay
• husk
• peel
• shell
• shuck
• skin

Examples of hull in a Sentence

Noun

the coffin was placed in a cement hull

Verb

hull the pinto beans before adding them

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The wing generates lift, raising the hull completely out of the water while the foils remain submerged. —Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 13 May 2025

In its report on Chinese military power, the Pentagon noted that China, which has the largest navy in the world by hull count, has begun sending its fleet of intelligence collection ships beyond the First Island Chain outside the East and South China Seas to monitor military drills. —Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025

Verb

Place hulled strawberries, sugar, and 2 cups of the water in a blender with lemon quarters; blend on HIGH until almost fully pureed, 30 seconds to 1 minute. —Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 15 May 2025

Everything from lifeboat drills to hull design can trace its roots back to the hard lessons learned from Titanic’s fate. —David Nikel, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English holle, hulle, going back to Old English hulu, apparently going back to a by-form (without umlaut) of Germanic *huljō (whence Old High German hulla "outer garment," Middle High German hülle), nominal derivative from *hulj-a- "to cover" (whence Old Saxon bihullean "to veil, conceal," Old High German hullan "to cover," Old Norse hylja "to hide, cover," Gothic huljan "to cover, veil"), going back to Indo-European *ḱl̥-i̯e-, present stem formed from the verbal base *ḱel- "cover, conceal" — more at conceal

Note: The sense "frame or body of a ship," first attested with certainty ca. 1424-25 in a Latin document, is apparently a figurative use of the sense "husk, pod"; cf. Bertil Sandahl, Middle English Sea Terms I. The Ship's Hull (Uppsala, 1951), pp. 194-95.

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hull

• hull down

Rhymes for hull

• cull
• dull
• gul
• gull
• lull
• ndebele
• null
• scull
• skull
• stull
• trull
• tulle

Kids Definition

hull

1 of 2 noun

ˈhəl 

1

a

: the outer covering of a fruit or seed

b

: the remains of the flower that cling to the base of some fruits (as a strawberry)

2

: the frame or body of a ship, flying boat, or airship

hull

2 of 2 verb

: to remove the hulls of

hulling strawberries

hulled the corn kernels

huller noun

Geographical Definition

Hull

geographical name

ˈhəl 

1

or in full Kingston upon Hull

ˈkiŋ-stən 

city and port on the Humber River in eastern England population 242,200

2

former town in southwestern Quebec, Canada, on the Ottawa River

Note: Hull is now part of the town of Gatineau.

Biographical Definition

Hull 1 of 4

biographical name (1)

ˈhəl 

Cordell 1871–1955 American statesman; U.S. Secretary of State (1933–44)

Hull

2 of 4

biographical name (2)

Isaac 1773–1843 American naval officer

Hull

3 of 4

biographical name (3)

Bobby 1939–2023 Robert Marvin Hull Canadian ice hockey player

Hull

4 of 4

biographical name (4)

William 1753–1825 American general