hulk

1 of 2

noun

ˈhəlk 

1

: one that is bulky or unwieldy

a hulk of a man

A solid hulk of a building, this place is all things to all people …

—Ben Arnold

2

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)

hulk

2 of 2

verb

hulked; hulking; hulks

intransitive verb

1

dialectal, England : to move ponderously

2

: to appear impressively large or massive : loom

factories hulked along the river

Synonyms of hulk

Noun

• lump
• loser
• villain
• idiot
• brute
• moron
• mutt
• beast
• clown
• turkey
• lout
• stupid
• oaf
• palooka
• skunk
• goose

Examples of hulk in a Sentence

Noun

The ship's rusting hulk is still visible on the rocks.

the burned out hulk of the factory

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Your job is to break up the wrecks of massive ships and space hulks, carving them apart to release valuable components which can be reused or recycled at huge profits by your despicable space overlords. —Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025

There, beside the shiplike hulk of the Basilica of San Petronio—which is a work in progress, the foundation stone having been laid in 1390, and which somebody really should get around to finishing one of these days—was a vast white screen. —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025

Verb

Paul, shirtless, hulked over Davis, who had his hands in his jacket pockets and feigned boredom, as if the whole thing were beneath him. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025

For Bowyer, then a 46-year-old father of five who could be mistaken for a retired slugger — confident gait, hulking arms mosaicked in tribal tattoos — attending was a no-brainer. —David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb

circa 1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hulk

• bulk
• fulk
• skulk
• sulk

Kids Definition

hulk

1 of 2 noun

ˈhəlk 

1

a

: a heavy clumsy ship

b

: the body of an old ship unfit for service or of an abandoned wreck

2

: a bulky or clumsy person or thing

hulk

2 of 2 verb

: to appear impressively large

factories hulking along the river

hulking

ˈhəl-kiŋ

adjective