hulk

play

noun \ ˈhəlk \

Definition of hulk

1 a :a heavy clumsy ship

b (1) :the body of an old ship unfit for service

(2) :a ship used as a prison —usually used in plural

every prisoner sent to the hulks
—Kenneth Roberts

c :an abandoned wreck or shell (as of a building or automobile)

2 :one that is bulky or unwieldy

See hulk defined for English-language learners

See hulk defined for kids

Examples of hulk in a Sentence

The ship's rusting hulk is still visible on the rocks.
the burned out hulk of the factory

Recent Examples of hulk from the Web

The rusting hulk could also pose a substantial threat to pipelines or other infrastructure that was originally far downslope.

— zahra ahmad, Science | AAAS, "The Germans torpedoed a ship during World War II. The wreck is now revealing secrets about submarine mudslides," 21 Aug. 2017
Faced with the task of dragging the lifeless hulk of an ObamaCare cuts package to passage, Trump’s fellow Republicans in the Senate are now back on Russia eruption duty.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Trump Jr. burns GOP defenders," 11 July 2017
Her husband arrived at the charred hulk of the building the next day.

— david d. kirkpatrick, danny hakim and james glanz, New York Times, "Why Grenfell Tower Burned: Regulators Put Cost Before Safety," 24 June 2017
At least 30 people were killed in Wednesday's inferno, which left Grenfell Tower a charred hulk.

— Bloomberg.com, "The Latest: UK's May Meets Fire Survivors, Faces Criticism," 17 June 2017
LONDON — Fifty-eight people who were in Grenfell Tower are still missing and are presumed to be dead, London police announced Saturday, raising the death toll in the horrific inferno that turned the public housing block into a charred hulk.

— gregory katz, The Denver Post, "58 dead and presumed dead in London blaze, U.K. police say," 17 June 2017
London (AP) -- London police on Saturday raised to 58 the number of deaths either confirmed or presumed following the horrific inferno that turned the city's Grenfell Tower public housing block into a charred hulk.

— Bloomberg.com, "58 People Confirmed Or Presumed Dead From London Tower Fire," 17 June 2017
Fifty-eight people who were in Grenfell Tower are still missing and are presumed to be dead, London police announced Saturday, raising the death toll in the horrific inferno that turned the public housing block into a charred hulk.

— maria cheng, chicagotribune.com, "58 presumed dead in London tower inferno as anger mounts over government response," 17 June 2017
The prime minister set aside her efforts to form a new government Thursday to visit the scene of the disaster, gazing up at the charred hulk of Grenfell Tower as she was briefed by fire officials.

— heidi williams, OregonLive.com, "Traumatized firefighters search for more London fire victims (photos)," 15 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of hulk

Middle English hulke, from Old English hulc, probably from Medieval Latin holcas, from Greek holkas, from helkein to pull — more at sulcus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

hulk Synonyms

Synonyms

clod, clodhopper, gawk, oaf, lout, lubber, lug, lump, Neanderthal, palooka

Related Words

chump, loser, schlemiel (also shlemiel), turkey; slouch; airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, blunderer, bonehead, bubblehead, chowderhead, chucklehead, clodpoll (or clodpole), clot [British], cluck, clunk, cuddy (or cuddie) [British dialect], deadhead, dim bulb [slang], dimwit, dip, dodo, dolt, donkey, doofus [slang], dope, dork [slang], dullard, dumbbell, dumbhead, dum-dum, dummkopf, dummy, dunce, dunderhead, fathead, galoot [slang], gander, golem, goof, goon, half-wit, hammerhead, hardhead, idiot, ignoramus, imbecile, jackass, know-nothing, knucklehead, lamebrain, loggerhead [chiefly dialect], loon, lump, lunkhead, meathead, mome [archaic], moron, mug [chiefly British], mutt, natural, nimrod [slang], nincompoop, ninny, ninnyhammer, nit [chiefly British], nitwit, noddy, noodle, numskull (or numbskull), pinhead, prat [British], ratbag [chiefly Australian], saphead, schlub (also shlub) [slang], schnook [slang], simp, simpleton, stock, stupe, stupid, thickhead, turkey, woodenhead, yahoo, yo-yo; anthropoid, ape, beast, boor, brute, cad, churl, clown, creep, cretin, cur, heel, louse, skunk, snake, stinker, tyke (also tike) [chiefly British], villain; booby, fool, goose, loony (also looney), lunatic, madman, nut; featherbrain, scatterbrain; rascal, rogue, scamp

Near Antonyms

brain, brainiac, egghead, genius, intellectual, sage, thinker, whiz, wizard

hulk

verb

Definition of hulk

intransitive verb

1 dialectal, England :to move ponderously

2 :to appear impressively large or massive :loom

factories hulked along the river

Recent Examples of hulk from the Web

Flying over the Houston area most days is a postcard of America: crisscrossing highways, skyscrapers, hulking shopping plazas, oil refineries, big houses, cattle pastures.

— paul j. weber, The Seattle Times, "Birds-eye view of flooded Houston captures Harvey’s totality," 30 Aug. 2017
Flying over the Houston area most days is a postcard of America: crisscrossing highways, skyscrapers, hulking shopping plazas, oil refineries, big houses, cattle pastures.

— Washington Post, "Birds-eye view of flooded Houston captures Harvey’s totality," 30 Aug. 2017
Saturdays are for hulking bone-in beef ribs that might go for $30 apiece.

— robert jacob lerma, Bon Appetit, "What It Takes to Open the Next Big Barbecue Joint in Texas," 22 Aug. 2017
The company said the new Bronco will be a midsize SUV, unlike the larger, hulking version Simpson rode in.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "White Ford Bronco from O.J. Simpson’s infamous chase is up for sale on ‘Pawn Stars’," 14 Aug. 2017
A dark, hulking mass visible through the growth of kudzu is one of the few remaining signs of the town of Praco in Jefferson County, Alabama (map below).

— kelly kazek, AL.com, "The ghostly remains of Praco, Alabama's last coal-company town," 2 Aug. 2017
The hulking open parade car was cloaked in secrecy by a fanatical German, Heinrich Heinzburg, whose family had gained possession of the car.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego author’s 'CarAlity' novel hot-wires TV auction back side," 20 July 2017
Like, say, Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Paris or La Mamounia in Marrakech, whose hulking carved mahogany altars of good spirit, worn from nearly a century’s worth of elbows, inspire us to sit up a little straighter.

— pilar guzmán, CNT, "Editor's Letter: A Good Drink and a Great Bar Can Define a Vacation," 11 July 2017
One day after the race at Vanderbilt, Gabe and Justin run an easy seven miles from their apartment in downtown Minneapolis, just west of the Mississippi River and in the shadow of the Vikings’ hulking new U.S. Bank Stadium.

— tim layden, SI.com, "Athlete gets cancer. Athlete fights cancer. Repeat, again and again...," 11 July 2017

First Known Use of hulk

circa 1825

HULK Defined for English Language Learners

hulk

play

noun

Definition of hulk for English Language Learners

: the main part of something (such as a ship, car, or building) that has been ruined and is no longer used
: a large person

HULK Defined for Kids

hulk

play

noun \ ˈhəlk \

Definition of hulk for Students

1 :a person or thing that is bulky or clumsy

2 :an abandoned wreck or shell of something (as a ship)

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See words that rhyme with hulk Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hulk Spanish Central: Translation of hulk Nglish: Translation of hulk for Spanish speakers

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