bilge

noun

\ ˈbilj

Definition of bilge

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the bulging part of a cask or barrel

2a : 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

verb

bilged; bilging

Definition of bilge (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to become damaged in the bilge

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about bilge

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Examples of bilge in a Sentence

Noun

That magazine prints a lot of bilge about celebrities. tried to justify his bigoted tirade with a lot of stale and insincere bilge

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The young adult male, which rescuers named Gilbert, was drinking water from a boat's bilge pump at the marina. — David Goodhue, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Manatee freed after a year tangled in fishing line," 7 July 2018 Crocs and Kevlar gloves and weapons-grade sunglasses slosh around the bilge. — Ben Lowy, Smithsonian, "The Lionfish Have Invaded, But a Ragtag Army of Divers and Chefs Are Fighting Back," 23 May 2018 But if the bilge filled up and the bilge pump failed, that would leave the motor submerged. — Ian Mcnanie, Popular Mechanics, "How a 20-Year-Old With Zero Sailing Experience Fixed Up a Sailboat," 20 Mar. 2018 The time Microsoft’s chatbot Tay was trained by Twitter users to parrot racist bilge. — Tad Friend, The New Yorker, "How Frightened Should We Be of A.I.?," 7 May 2018 The men had to sleep on the deck because the bilge backed up and the smell was so bad. — Roxanne Washington, cleveland.com, "'Sailing for Science:' Historic 1920s voyage stocked Cleveland Museum of Natural Histrory's shelves," 25 Mar. 2018 They were transported to new areas as adults that had attached to the hulls or outside of engines of recreational boats or as microscopic larvae - veligers - hiding in bilge, live wells or other water-holding areas of boats. — Shannon Tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Boaters key to slowing invasive species," 3 Mar. 2018 The cavernous bilge, the towering foredeck, the phalanxes of Tomahawk missiles — the 900-foot dreadnought is itself a mesmeric site, and director Andrew Davis conveys the hard-iron majesty, as well as mystery, of the battleship to the hilt. — Thr Staff, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Under Siege': THR's 1992 Review," 9 Oct. 2017 The whalemen spend several days cleaning the ship and themselves, from the bilges to the top of the mainmast. — Longreads, "A High-End Mover Dishes on Truckstop Hierarchy, Rich People, and Moby Dick," 21 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bilge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.