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

This includes bilge drains, cooler compartments, baitwells and livewells. —Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025

My smuggling vessel thrashed violently back and forth, swamped to the point of sinking, with the bilge pumps set to overdrive. —Martin Suarez, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025

Wastewater and bilge drained into the bay. —Steven Rosenfeld, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025

Then all at once Finley was up and pushing against my chest, spluttering between us what looked like a gallon of sea bilge. —Charna Flam, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025

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