bulkhead

noun bulk·head \ ˈbəlk-ˌhed , ˈbəl-ˌked \

Updated on: 24 Mar 2018

1 : an upright partition separating compartments

2 : a structure or partition to resist pressure or to shut off water, fire, or gas

3 : a retaining wall along a waterfront

4 : a projecting framework with a sloping door giving access to a cellar stairway or a shaft

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Recent Examples of bulkhead from the Web

As such, people traveling with an in-cabin pet cannot be seated in an emergency exit or bulkhead row.

— katherine lagrave, Condé Nast Traveler, "Dog Dies After United Flight Attendant Insists Carrier Be Put in Overhead Bin," 15 Mar. 2018
The dog was in the first row of seats against a bulkhead when the girl, about six years old, approached it after the owner had asked her to stay back, said Southwest spokeswoman Melissa Ford.

— jaclyn gallucci, Fortune, "Child Bitten by Dog on Southwest Airlines Flight," 23 Feb. 2018
Keep accelerating, and the noises passing through the rear bulkhead get angrier and darker.

— greg pajo, Car and Driver, "Ford GT Full Test: La Ford in La France!," 22 Jan. 2018
He is also credited with overseeing construction of a 1,400-foot concrete bulkhead along the Tchefuncte River and helping to open the Maritime Museum.

— kim chatelain, NOLA.com, "Living legacy: Madisonville library named for longtime Mayor Peter Gitz," 14 Dec. 2017
At the Greenpoint, formerly the site of a hulking low-slung warehouse, there is a new concrete bulkhead reaching out over the water facing dead ahead to the Midtown Manhattan skyline.

— josh barbanel, WSJ, "Public-Private Brooklyn Waterfront Project Is Starting To Bloom," 13 Dec. 2017
If the ship had hit the berg head on, Titanic probably would have survived because of the strength of its bulkheads.

— jackie loohauis-bennett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "100 unsinkable facts about the Titanic," 19 Dec. 2017
Margate, an upscale shore town south of Atlantic City, argues that its wooden bulkhead provides adequate protection against ocean storm surge, and says most of its Sandy damage came from bay flooding on the other side of town.

— Washington Post, "APNewsBreak: US, New Jersey town agree on beach flooding fix," 13 Sep. 2017
The explosion on the port side warped the bulkhead, preventing the crew from closing a watertight door, crippled both engines and disabled radio communication, preventing a distress call.

— sam roberts, New York Times, "99 Years Later, Navy Probing Warship Disaster Off Long Island," 10 Sep. 2017

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