bulge

1 a part that sticks out from the general mass of something several bulges in the old vinyl flooring in the dingy bathroom Synonyms bunch, convexity, jut, overhang, projection, protrusion, protuberance, swell Related Words dome; blob, bump, dilatation, gibbosity, hump, knob, knot, knurl, lump, nub, obtrusion, puff, snag, swelling; block, piece, portion, section; enlargement, escalation, expansion, increase; hill, mound Near Antonyms crater, hole, well; basin, bowl, dip, valley; furrow, groove, trench, trough; dimple, gouge, impression, notch, pocket Antonyms cavity, concave, concavity, dent, depression, dint, hollow, indent, indentation, indenture, pit, recess

2 the more favorable condition or position in a competition somehow she got the bulge on him in the race for the statehouse Synonyms better, advantage, catbird seat, drop, edge, high ground, inside track, jump, pull, stead, upper hand, vantage, whip handRelated Words allowance, head start, lead, leg up, margin, odds, start; ascendancy (also ascendency), command, dominance, mastery, predominance, superiority, supremacy, transcendence, transcendency; precedence, preference, prerogative, privilege, seniority; break, foothold, opportunity; benefit, blessing, boon, felicity, godsend, manna, windfallNear Antonyms detriment, stranglehold; disparity, imbalance, inequality, unevenness; disability, failing, impairment, shortcoming; bar, catch, check, clog, crimp, embarrassment, hindrance, hitch, hurdle, impediment, interference, let, manacle, obstacle, obstruction, rub, shackle, stop, trammel; lurch, setbackAntonyms disadvantage, drawback, handicap, liability, minus, penalty, strike

1 to extend outward beyond a usual point the sides of the returning camper's suitcase bulged with a month's worth of dirty laundry Synonyms bag, balloon, beetle, belly, billow, bunch, jut, overhang, poke, pooch [chiefly dialect], pouch, pout, project, protrude, stand out, start, stick out, swell Related Words dome; blow up, inflate; dilate, distend, expand; mushroom, snowball; elongate, extend, lengthen, stretch Near Antonyms compress, condense, constrict, contract, shrink

2 to be copiously supplied this guidebook to San Francisco positively bulges with useful information Synonyms brim, bristle, abound, burst, bustle, buzz, crawl, hum, overflow, pullulate, swarm, teemNear Antonyms lack, need, want