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 Reflections in the brass base of the lamp bulge out, convex, contorted, unlike real objects below. — Owen Thomas, The Christian Science Monitor, "‘Not all has withered’: A poetry month tribute to Paul O. Williams," 6 Apr. 2021 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 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Greater Boston has a demographic bulge of people hitting their early 30s, which are traditionally prime home-buying years, Ratiu notes. — BostonGlobe.com, "There’s been no surge in sales for the spring housing market," 7 Apr. 2021 Sometimes a spinal cord gets pushed outward creating a bulge. — Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, "Artist Riva Lehrer paints portraits of people with disabilities — minus the mock heroics, the ‘freak show’ or the toxic staring," 24 Feb. 2021 During the lunar perigee, the mass of the moon tugs on Earth and expands the tidal bulge. — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, "The Moon—Yes, the Moon—Ultimately Freed the Ever Given From the Suez Canal," 31 Mar. 2021 Officers are trained, for example, to recognize the unusual gait of a person carrying a gun, or a telltale bulge in pants or a jacket pocket, indicators used as probable cause to stop and search someone for a firearm. — Washington Post, "District’s new police chief is rethinking unit focused on gun seizures," 11 Mar. 2021 The National Association of Memoir Writers has seen its membership bulge. — Peter Funt, WSJ, "An Epidemic of Memoir-Writing," 21 Mar. 2021 After the spring bulge in cases and deaths, Shelby County Health Department Director Robert Lewis hoped the worst had passed. — Shari Rudavsky, The Indianapolis Star, "Here's why some Indianapolis metro counties were hit harder by coronavirus pandemic," 14 Mar. 2021 This was, perhaps, the apex of Detroit kids television, with advertisers eager to reach an enormous demographic bulge of boomers (and their parents’ pocketbooks). — Tim Kiska, Detroit Free Press, "Art Cervi, Detroit TV's Bozo the Clown in the 1960s and '70s, dies at age 86," 19 Feb. 2021 Plus, a rubber bulge on the back—part of Danner’s EXO Heel System—locked our foot in for blister-free hiking. — Popular Mechanics, "The Popular Mechanics 2020 Outdoor Awards," 30 June 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.