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bulged

verb

past tense of bulge
1
as in protruded
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 & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in burst
to be copiously supplied this guidebook to San Francisco positively bulges with useful information

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bulged By later in the day, the second lake had bulged — sparking fears of another lethal torrent. — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026 My husband Grant Wahl's bulged and burst, at an age when this disease usually means something inherited. — Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News, 13 July 2026 Her stomach bulged beneath her I ❤ FLORIDA boatneck and her face was round and waxy-pale. — Stephen King, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026 The Apple engineers’ eyes bulged in astonishment. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026 Angelenos’ eyes bulged at the $1,500-a-head price tag. — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026 Taking new measurements, the researchers saw that as fluid gushed between cells, creating indentations in their cell membranes, bubbles mostly bulged into weaker cells. — Clare Watson, Quanta Magazine, 27 Feb. 2026 The surrounding metropolitan area has similarly bulged. — Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026 Even pre-Covid, his pockets bulged with hand sanitizer. — Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bulged
  1. protruded
  2. burst
  3. poked
  4. buzzed
  5. brimmed
  6. hummed
Verb
  • In several looks, the hips protruded impressively outward, but the silhouette appeared more subtle and somewhat suitable for everyday wear in the label’s delicate camisole tops.
    — Kelly Niesen, Glamour, 24 July 2026
  • The skinny braids wrapped the bottom of the bun, while the thicker braids dressed the top, forming a cylinder shape that protruded from the crown of her head.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 29 June 2026
Definition of protruded
Verb
  • The skins cling like wet T-shirts to the filling beneath, with each plump bundle nearly bursting with big, discernible chunks of shrimp and ground pork.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Heaps of plot aren’t required, of course, but one watches Color of the Sun with a constant itch for something to burst through the movie’s mannered stillness and liven up the picture.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of burst
Verb
  • Better together Industry analysts, experts and insiders have consistently poked holes in the states' argument that the combination of TV networks would create antitrust issues.
    — Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026
  • So too were the buildings, including my hotel, which poked through the seven-foot-high snowbanks, looking like an ancient shipwreck covered in shifting sand.
    — Adam H. Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • With a nod from the person at the desk, we were buzzed out and strolled straight onto the tarmac to mount up.
    — Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The two 98-seat Embraer-190 regional jets from South African airline Airlink buzzed Cape Town’s DHL stadium on Saturday just before the match between the country’s Springboks and New Zealand’s All Blacks teams.
    — Pete Muntean, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of buzzed
Verb
  • But You Caint Use My Phone, which brimmed with affirmative heaters that wonderfully interrogated screen-staring.
    — Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Sitting with her children in a carriage during the parade and later appearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, the princess wore nodded to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana's 1987 Easter outfit in a pale blue ensemble and wide-brimmed hat by Catherine Walker.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 15 June 2026
Definition of brimmed
Verb
  • The bleachers were packed, and for the first time all day the air hummed with genuine enthusiasm.
    — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • As the tattoo machine hummed across her leg, Savanna Georges watched another chapter of her faith take shape in ink.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of hummed

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Cite this Entry

“Bulged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bulged. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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