bulge

play

verb \ ˈbəlj also ˈbu̇lj \

Definition of bulge

bulged; bulging

transitive verb

:to cause to bulge

intransitive verb

1 archaic :bilge

2 a :to jut out :swell

b :to bend outward

prevent the brick wall from bulging

c :to become swollen or protuberant

… a pair of arresting pale blue eyes that tend to bulge maniacally …
—Jeremy Egner

3 :to be filled to overflowing

a notebook that bulged with ideas

See bulge defined for English-language learners

See bulge defined for kids

Examples of bulge in a Sentence

His face turned white and his eyes bulged.
middle-aged people bulging at the waist
Their bags bulged with books and papers.
The squirrel's cheeks were bulging with nuts.
a notebook bulging with ideas

Recent Examples of bulge from the Web

The surgery was actually his second this month for a ruptured or bulging disc.

— cynthia sewell, idahostatesman, "Idaho Gov. Otter remains hospitalized after 2 back surgeries," 17 July 2017
Eight days after the voucher meeting, Ebony induced labor and gave birth to Kamariya, a girl with bulging cheeks and a mess of black hair.

— alden woods, azcentral, "60 days to find a home: Lack of affordable housing forces renters to settle," 2 July 2017
McGregor also played Emmit's brother, Ray, who was balding, with a bulging gut and an unglamorous job as a parole officer.

— kristi turnquist, OregonLive.com, "'Fargo,' 'Better Call Saul,' 'The Leftovers,' 'The Americans': Did they soar or stumble?," 29 June 2017
Between a line of fishing boats and several small houses, the hip-high levee bulged like a balloon.

— tristan baurick, NOLA.com, "Sucker punch: Tropical Storm Cindy's delayed hit on Jean Lafitte," 22 June 2017
In a reversal of the climax to the long-running game show Supermarket Sweep — where entrants with bulging shopping carts competed to ring up the highest value — the 31-year-old put 117 items in her cart, but sought to keep her bill low.

— USA TODAY, "Woman self-scans 117 items of food and clothing using reduced item label," 21 June 2017
There was the annoying Erie clown, who walked through the bulging stands honking his horn.

— dan le batard, miamiherald, "Sailors’ debut a long one: Baby Marlins fall in 13 innings," 15 June 2017
Nadal is no longer the 19-year-old who won the French Open in his debut in 2005, wearing long white pirate shorts, his flowing locks wrapped by a white headband, his sleeveless shirt revealing bulging biceps.

— howard fendrich, The Denver Post, "Rafael Nadal routs Stan Wawrinka for record 10th French Open," 11 June 2017
Sandra tapped her claws like castanets, and her ligaments bulged.

— elisabeth egan, chicagotribune.com, "Algren Award runner-up: "The Lobster’s Daughter" by Leah Velez," 10 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of bulge

Middle English bolgen

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

bulge Synonyms

Synonyms

bag, balloon, beetle, belly, billow, bunch, jut, overhang, poke, pooch [chiefly dialect], pouch, pout, project, protrude, stand out, start, stick out, swell

Related Words

dome; blow up, inflate; dilate, distend, expand; mushroom, snowball; elongate, extend, lengthen, stretch

Near Antonyms

compress, condense, constrict, contract, shrink

bulge

noun

Definition of bulge

1 a :bilge 1

the bulge of a barrel

b nautical :bilge 2

2 :a protuberant or swollen part or place

a bulge in the wall

trying to get rid of the bulge around his middle

3 :advantage, upper hand

letting them get the bulge on you

4 :sudden expansion

a population bulge

—

bulgy

play \ˈbəl-jē also ˈbu̇l-\ adjective

See bulge defined for English-language learners

Examples of bulge in a Sentence

“What's in there?” he asked, pointing to the large bulge in my purse.
I'm exercising to get rid of this bulge around my middle.

Recent Examples of bulge from the Web

The remedy to bra-induced 'back fat,' this style has a smooth back to get rid of bra lines and back bulges.

— the good housekeeping institute, Good Housekeeping, "Shapeez The Shortee," 26 Aug. 2017
Lucy can tell from the bulge of Sam’s pockets that those pudgy hands are cocked like guns again.

— Longreads, "And How Much of These Hills Is Gold," 3 Aug. 2017
In fact, the photo reveals only the Boeing's right fairing, a pronounced bulge that contains the landing gear.

— Popular Mechanics, "Debunking the 9/11 Myths: Special Report - The Planes," 1 Aug. 2017
Now one of the explosives experts entered a space adjacent to the engine room, which had been drained and looked like the inside of a barbecue, and spotted an unmistakable bulge in a metal plate on the floor.

— Bloomberg.com, "The Hijacking of the Brillante Virtuoso," 27 July 2017
This isn’t your typical Facetuning of a zit or thigh bulge, granted, but what’s the difference?

— amy odell, Cosmopolitan, "Stop Critiquing Women for Photoshopping Their Instagram Photos," 27 July 2017
The three-row, seven-seat Atlas has all the right SUV cues, such as hunky body bulges, tall stance and Volkswagen-lean exterior styling.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 VW Atlas V6 SE Tech: An encouraging sign of American design," 21 July 2017
Of course, Compass’s exterior is unmistakably Jeep, with the signature seven-slot grille, trapezoidal wheel arches – found on every Jeep vehicle since 1941 – and a traditional clamshell hood with a double break line and center bulge.

— emma jayne williams, star-telegram, "Jeep rolls out the redesigned Compass compact crossover, starting at $20,995," 21 July 2017
Unfortunately for her, customs officials in Shenzhen noticed some unusual bulges on her body and pulled her aside.

— matthew humphries, Fox News, "Woman fails to smuggle 102 iPhones strapped to body into China," 18 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of bulge

Middle English boulge, bouge leather bag, curved part, from Anglo-French bouge bag — more at budget

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1622

See Words from the same year

bulge Synonyms

Synonyms

bunch, convexity, jut, overhang, projection, protrusion, protuberance, swell

Synonym Discussion of bulge

projection, protrusion, protuberance, bulge mean an extension beyond the normal line or surface. projection implies a jutting out especially at a sharp angle.

- those projections along the wall are safety hazards

protrusion suggests a thrusting out so that the extension seems a deformity.

- the bizarre protrusions of a coral reef

protuberance implies a growing or swelling out in rounded form.

- a skin disease marked by warty protuberances

bulge suggests an expansion caused by internal pressure.

- bulges in the tile floor

BULGE Defined for English Language Learners

bulge

play

verb

Definition of bulge for English Language Learners

: to stick out in a rounded lump
: to be completely filled with something

bulge

noun

Definition of bulge for English Language Learners

: a rounded lump on the surface of something
: a sudden increase

BULGE Defined for Kids

bulge

play

verb \ ˈbəlj \

Definition of bulge for Students

bulged; bulging

:to swell or curve outward

Muscles bulged from his shirt.

bulge

noun

Definition of bulge for Students

:a swelling part :a part that sticks out

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bulge

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bulgy

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bulge

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bulge

Definition of bulge for English Language Learners

BULGE Defined for Kids

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bulge

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