bilge

1 of 2

noun

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

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 kind of oily bilge water typically contains oil contamination from the operation and cleaning of the ship’s machinery, according to the Justice Department. Alexa Gagosz, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Aug. 2023 The 1,000 artifacts found on the bilge — lice combs, a silver French coin, rat droppings, pointy shoes with curly toes, flowering heather, a helmet with a Latin inscription — have also been put under the microscope. William Booth, Washington Post, 11 June 2023 Purpose Batteries have three main uses on a boat: starting the outboard engine, fueling the electric trolling motor or powering all of the bilge pumps, aerators, lights and electronics found onboard. Randy Zellers, Field & Stream, 10 Apr. 2023 Group Size 27: The standard battery size for most bass boats for both the deep-cycle trolling motor batteries and dual-purpose starting batteries that also run basic boat electronics, bilge pumps and lights. Randy Zellers, Field & Stream, 10 Apr. 2023 There is also a cinema located in the bilge. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 12 July 2022 The bilge, the conspiracies theories. Oliver Staley, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2021 The bilge is essentially a collection space for the ship’s drainage system where wastewater is stored until it can safely be processed and discharged, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Andrew Dyer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2022 There's also added entertainment in the form of a cinema, which will be erected in the bilge deck in order to take advantage of the dark environment and ensure the best possible on board viewing experience. Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN, 5 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bilge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of bilge was in 1513

Cite this Entry

“Bilge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bilge. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bilge

1 of 2 noun
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

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