bulge

verb

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\ ˈbəlj

also ˈbu̇lj \

bulged; bulging; bulges

Definition of bulge

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to jut out : swell

b : to become swollen or protuberant … a pair of arresting pale blue eyes that tend to bulge maniacally …— Jeremy Egner

c : to bend outward prevent the brick wall from bulging

2 : to be filled to overflowing a notebook that bulged with ideas

3 archaic : bilge

transitive verb

: to cause to bulge

bulge

noun

plural bulges

Definition of bulge (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a protuberant or swollen part or place a bulge in the wall trying to get rid of the bulge around his middle

2 : sudden expansion a population bulge

3 : advantage, upper hand letting them get the bulge on you

4a : bilge sense 1 the bulge of a barrel

b nautical : bilge sense 2

Other Words from bulge Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about bulge

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Choose the Right Synonym for bulge

Noun

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

Examples of bulge in a Sentence

Verb 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 Noun “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 on the Web: Verb Their tails wag, their eyes bulge, and their bark is almost certainly bigger than their bite. — Matt Blitz, Popular Mechanics, "How to Clone Your Dog," 21 Dec. 2020 His arms, once spindly by NBA standards, now bulge with muscles. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Warriors need Andrew Wiggins to add heft to his play on both sides of court," 3 Dec. 2020 An assiduous public-relations campaign has ensured that the newspapers bulge with profiles of him and his photogenic family. — The Economist, "Bagehot Rishi Sunak, Thatcherite at heart," 28 Nov. 2020 Ballots bulge with so many initiatives they might be better described as booklets. — Tim Arango, New York Times, "A Big Win for Democrats in California Came With a Gut Check for Liberals," 5 Nov. 2020 As the ice grows and expands, and gaseous pressure continues to build, the frozen capsule may bulge at the surface, creating a small hill known as a pingo. — Maya Wei-haas, National Geographic, "Colossal crater found in Siberia. What made it?," 23 Sep. 2020 While our field of view is approximately 180 degrees, feline and canine eyes bulge out a little to expand their peripheral vision past 200 degrees. — Popular Science, "How cats and dogs see the world," 28 Aug. 2020 Excess seems to warp or bulge out of every frame, and every story line wants to go writhing off on its own. — James Parker, The Atlantic, "The New David Copperfield Movie Might Be Better Than the Book," 9 Aug. 2020 Seal stuffed burgers with remaining balls of ground beef, and with hands, form finished patties that lay flat and do not bulge. — ExpressNews.com, "Recipe: Stuffed Italian Burgers," 8 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The researchers stretched out the middle of the abdomen between the animals’ stomach muscles to create a bulge a bit like a hernia. — Mitch Leslie, Science | AAAS, "These bacteria-gobbling immune cells help the body heal—but also cause surgical complications," 4 Mar. 2021 Baylor led the entire first meeting against Kansas on Jan. 18 in Waco, with a 16-point bulge at one point in a 77-69 victory. — Brent Zwerneman, San Antonio Express-News, "On brink of first Big 12 regular season title, Scott Drew hopes it's just the start," 27 Feb. 2021 The Nets surged ahead with a 12-2 burst midway through the second that gave them a 44-38 lead, with a 19-2 surge late in the period turning a three-point lead into a 65-45 bulge. — Brian Mahoney, Star Tribune, "Nets rout Magic 129-92, run NBA-leading win streak to eight," 25 Feb. 2021 Mike Conley scored 17 points and hit five 3s for the Jazz, who led by 30 at halftime and opened a 40-point bulge early in the fourth quarter. — John Coon, ajc, "Jazz rout Warriors for 8th straight; Curry now 2nd in 3s," 24 Jan. 2021 The Tharsis bulge is home to Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, the Science Times reported. — Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, "New photos reveal massive canyon on Mars, the largest in the solar system, NASA says," 5 Jan. 2021 As fears mount of a bulge of post-holiday cases, several hospital systems, from Kaiser Permanente to Sutter Health and Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, are postponing non-emergency surgeries. — Chronicle Staff, SFChronicle.com, "Coronavirus updates from the Bay Area: Dec. 24-30," 1 Jan. 2021 The euphoria over the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine has encouraged a surge of optimism that’s resulting in a huge bulge in credit card debt — even among people whose income has been impacted by the pandemic. — Terry Savage, chicagotribune.com, "Terry Savage: Credit card euphoria will lead to nasty hangover," 31 Dec. 2020 The Knicks opened the final period with seven straight points for a 103-75 bulge. — Stefan Bondy, courant.com, "Payton leads Knicks to rout of Bucks for first victory under Thibodeau," 27 Dec. 2020

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.