1
a(1)
: the soft, succulent part of a fruit usually composed of mesocarp
(2)
: stem pith when soft and spongy
b
: a soft mass of vegetable matter (as of apples) from which most of the water has been extracted by pressure
c
: the soft sensitive tissue that fills the central cavity of a tooth see tooth illustration
d
: a material prepared by chemical or mechanical means from various materials (such as wood or rags) for use in making paper and cellulose products
2
: pulverized ore mixed with water
3
a
: pulpy condition or character
b
: something in such a condition or having such a character
4
: a magazine or book printed on cheap paper (such as newsprint) and often dealing with sensational material
also
: sensational or tabloid writing
—often used attributively
pulp fiction
pulped; pulping; pulps
1
: to reduce to pulp
pulped unsold copies of the book
2
: to cause to appear pulpy
3
: to deprive of the pulp
: to become pulp or pulpy
pulper
noun
Synonyms
Examples of pulp in a Sentence
Noun
The fruit has sweet, juicy pulp and hard, black seeds.
the pulp of an orange
I like to strain the pulp out of my orange juice.
The grain was mashed into pulp.
The boxes will be turned back into pulp and be made into newspapers.
This paper is made from inexpensive wood pulp.
He made a little extra money by writing stories for a science fiction pulp.
Verb
pulped three oranges to get their juice
Recent Examples on the Web
Judy Revenaugh, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024
Some trees, especially pines, produce sap so rich in resin that harvesting and processing it for the adhesives, paper and pulp, and printing ink industries generates billions of dollars in revenue each year.
—Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
An eventual entry into the pantheon of hyperkinetic pulp creators doesn’t feel like a reach at all.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2024
The peas and carrots had a bright color with perfect viscosity and no chunks or pulp.
—Laura Denby, Parents, 29 Feb. 2024
With a net worth of about $3.1 billion, Tanoto, 74, is the founder of Royal Golden Eagle, a global company with over 60,000 employees in the pulp and paper, palm oil and energy businesses.
—Jonathan Burgos, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Some Costco stores have even begun adding Asian products like boba ice cream, oyster sauce and durian pulp to their shelves, consumers told CNBC.
—Sakshi Venkatraman, NBC News, 29 Feb. 2024
Evolving a bio business strategy The Mitsui agreement aligns with Suzano's broader bio business strategy beyond its core activities of pulp, paper, and consumer goods production.
—Angelica Mari, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Wooden teeth would have filled Washington’s maw full of rotting pulp.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024
Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The warehouse owners issued an ultimatum: get them out immediately or they would be pulped.
—Ian Johnson, WSJ, 21 Oct. 2023
Imagine a literary world without public libraries, without a New York Public Library or a Library of Congress as all-embracing book collections, in which the sole arbiters of what’s kept and what’s pulped are the publishers themselves—or the conglomerates that take them over.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 27 June 2023
The little ticket-taker in everyone longs for hiatus, release, the distant crash of buildings tumbling down, perhaps even not so distant, but just far enough away to still keep safe while last century’s rubble is pulped.
—Jessi Jezewska Stevens, Harper's Magazine, 14 Sep. 2022
In the basement of the Syayvo book store in Kyiv, hundreds of Russian language books stand piled, waiting to be pulped.
—Guy Davies, ABC News, 23 Feb. 2023
Elephants sway from side to side, orcas grind their teeth to pulp against concrete walls.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 7 Aug. 2021
The tool wipes away pulp from the inside, outside and bottom of the cutting blade in one swipe, while protecting your fingers.
—Nicole Papantoniou, Good Housekeeping, 7 July 2022
In the eighteen-sixties, a tiny aphid-like bug called phylloxera migrated from California to Europe, nearly pulping the French wine industry; in the nineteen-fifties, Panama disease eradicated the world’s favorite variety of banana, the Gros Michel.
—Kate Brown, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2020
Noun
Double strain into a short stemmed glass to remove all watermelon pulp.
—Judy Revenaugh, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024
Some trees, especially pines, produce sap so rich in resin that harvesting and processing it for the adhesives, paper and pulp, and printing ink industries generates billions of dollars in revenue each year.
—Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
An eventual entry into the pantheon of hyperkinetic pulp creators doesn’t feel like a reach at all.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2024
The peas and carrots had a bright color with perfect viscosity and no chunks or pulp.
—Laura Denby, Parents, 29 Feb. 2024
With a net worth of about $3.1 billion, Tanoto, 74, is the founder of Royal Golden Eagle, a global company with over 60,000 employees in the pulp and paper, palm oil and energy businesses.
—Jonathan Burgos, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Some Costco stores have even begun adding Asian products like boba ice cream, oyster sauce and durian pulp to their shelves, consumers told CNBC.
—Sakshi Venkatraman, NBC News, 29 Feb. 2024
Evolving a bio business strategy The Mitsui agreement aligns with Suzano's broader bio business strategy beyond its core activities of pulp, paper, and consumer goods production.
—Angelica Mari, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Wooden teeth would have filled Washington’s maw full of rotting pulp.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024
Verb
The Dutch version of Endgame that includes the names has been pulled and pulped.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The warehouse owners issued an ultimatum: get them out immediately or they would be pulped.
—Ian Johnson, WSJ, 21 Oct. 2023
Imagine a literary world without public libraries, without a New York Public Library or a Library of Congress as all-embracing book collections, in which the sole arbiters of what’s kept and what’s pulped are the publishers themselves—or the conglomerates that take them over.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 27 June 2023
The little ticket-taker in everyone longs for hiatus, release, the distant crash of buildings tumbling down, perhaps even not so distant, but just far enough away to still keep safe while last century’s rubble is pulped.
—Jessi Jezewska Stevens, Harper's Magazine, 14 Sep. 2022
In the basement of the Syayvo book store in Kyiv, hundreds of Russian language books stand piled, waiting to be pulped.
—Guy Davies, ABC News, 23 Feb. 2023
Elephants sway from side to side, orcas grind their teeth to pulp against concrete walls.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 7 Aug. 2021
The tool wipes away pulp from the inside, outside and bottom of the cutting blade in one swipe, while protecting your fingers.
—Nicole Papantoniou, Good Housekeeping, 7 July 2022
In the eighteen-sixties, a tiny aphid-like bug called phylloxera migrated from California to Europe, nearly pulping the French wine industry; in the nineteen-fifties, Panama disease eradicated the world’s favorite variety of banana, the Gros Michel.
—Kate Brown, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pulp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pulp
Cite this Entry
“Pulp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pulp. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pulp
1 of 2 noun1
a
: the soft juicy or fleshy part of a fruit or vegetable
the pulp of an apple
b
: a mass of vegetable matter from which the juice or moisture has been squeezed
pulp left in orange juice
2
: the soft sensitive tissue that fills the central cavity of a tooth
3
: a material prepared chiefly from wood but also from other materials (as rags) and used in making paper products
4
: pulpy state
beaten to a pulp
5
: a magazine or book on cheap paper and often dealing with sensational material
pulp
2 of 2 verb
: to make into a pulp
pulper
noun
Medical Definition
pulp
noun
: a mass of soft tissue: as
a
b
: the characteristic somewhat spongy tissue of the spleen
c
: the fleshy portion of the fingertip
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