bulging

adjective

bulg·​ing ˈbəl-jiŋ How to pronounce bulging (audio)
 also  ˈbu̇l-
1
: swelling or thrusting out from a surrounding or adjacent surface : protuberant
bulging eyes
bulging muscles
2
: swollen with contents
bulging pockets
a bulging wallet
There were cardboard boxes piled up on the curb along with four bulging black plastic bags.Sue Grafton

Examples of bulging in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Late Thursday night, the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection released its final report, a bulging 845-page account of a months-long effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Nicole Hemmer, CNN, 23 Dec. 2022 One of the cockeyed squid's eyes is big, bulging and yellow. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 21 Feb. 2017 Bubbling up and around these walls are 1,062 triangular glass panes shaped to look like a bulging, misshapen geodesic dome. Kelly Crow, WSJ, 27 Sep. 2022 Belle broke into the most famous flex in Cleveland history, showing a bulging bicep to the Red Sox dugout. Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 10 Sep. 2022 Particularly, the bulging transition from the more upright trapezoidal lower section of the grille to the hood throws us off. Mark Takahashi, Car and Driver, 9 Sep. 2022 And the big, bulging, muscles that let Hulk SMASH so effectively aren't the same as carrying a lot of excess fat. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 Dec. 2021 Indian streamer ALTBalaji has revealed a focus on the burgeoning Indian youth market and a bulging slate. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Sep. 2021 Meanwhile, the green frogs are very interested in what is going on right in front of their little bulging eyes. Cori Brown, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 11 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bulging.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bulging was in 1812

Dictionary Entries Near bulging

Cite this Entry

“Bulging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bulging. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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