bilge

1 of 2

noun

ˈbilj 

1

: the bulging part of a cask or barrel

2

a

: the part of the underwater body of a ship between the flat of the bottom and the vertical topsides

b

: the lowest point of a ship's inner hull

3

: stale or worthless remarks or ideas

bilge

2 of 2

verb

bilged; bilging

intransitive verb

: to become damaged in the bilge

Synonyms

Noun

• nonsense
• garbage
• nuts
• rubbish
• stupidity
• drool
• bunk
• muck
• silliness
• blah
• trash
• jazz
• twaddle

Examples of bilge in a Sentence

Noun

That magazine prints a lot of bilge about celebrities.

tried to justify his unhinged tirade with a lot of stale and insincere bilge

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

According to a social media post from the Coast Guard, the owner of the vessel initially reported that the bilge pumps, which are used to remove water that collects in the lowest part of the boat, were keeping up with the flooding. —Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 1 June 2025

There will be another 15 minutes of football played — a third of a half of football — but those leaving have no desire to watch anymore of what could fairly be described as apathetic bilge. —Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025

Lots of people fall for this bilge. —Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2025

All this bilge went into Arthur Kill, the 600-foot-wide shipping channel separating New Jersey from New York City’s Staten Island. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 25 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably modification of Middle French boulge, bouge leather bag, curved part — more at budget

First Known Use

Noun

1513, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Verb

1728, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bilge

• bilge keel

Kids Definition

bilge

1 of 2 noun

ˈbilj 

1

: the bulging part of a cask or barrel

2

: the part of a ship's hull between the bottom and the point where the sides begin to rise nearly straight up

bilge

2 of 2 verb

bilged; bilging

: to become damaged in the bilge