bulge
noun
a rounded projection, bend, or protruding part; protuberance; hump.
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bulge
1 American
[buhlj]
/ bʌldʒ /
noun
-
bulges
plural
-
a rounded projection, bend, or protruding part; protuberance; hump.
a bulge in a wall.
-
any sudden increase, as of numbers, sales, or prices.
the bulge in profits.
-
a rising in small waves on the surface of a body of water, caused by the action of a fish or fishes in pursuit of food underwater.
verb (used without object)
-
bulges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bulged,
past participle, past
-
bulging
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
bulges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bulged,
past participle, past
-
bulging
present participle
Bulge
2
American
[buhlj]
/ bʌldʒ /
noun
bulge
1
British
/ bʌldʒ /
noun
-
a swelling or an outward curve
-
a sudden increase in number or volume, esp of population
-
another name for baby boom
-
the projecting part of an army's front line; salient
verb
Bulge
2
British
/ bʌldʒ /
noun
Pronunciation
See bulk 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bulgesimple
-
bulgessimple
-
have bulgedperfect
-
has bulgedperfect
-
am bulgingprogressive
-
are bulgingprogressive
-
is bulgingprogressive
-
have been bulgingperfect progressive
-
has been bulgingperfect progressive
Past
-
bulgedsimple
-
had bulgedperfect
-
was bulgingprogressive
-
were bulgingprogressive
-
had been bulgingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bulge
1200–50; Middle English: bag, hump < Old French < Latin bulga bag < Celtic; compare Irish bolg bag
Explanation
To bulge is to stick out, making a bump called a bulge. A leak in the roof might make your ceiling bulge, and a giant feast could make a bulge over your waistband. The word bulge comes from the Old French word bouge for "wallet.” A full wallet makes a bulge in a guy’s back pocket. Bodybuilders' muscles bulge out of their bodies. A pimple is a tiny bulge on your skin. For the record, Battle of the Bulge isn’t a diet plan. It was a battle in World War II. Americans called it the Battle of the Bulge because of the way the Allied front line bulged inward.
Vocabulary lists containing bulge
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There’s a huge bulge in the population from the baby boom, and a lot of those people are approaching retirement and own private businesses.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
“The top of the storage tank began to bulge, and fumes released for approximately 5 minutes until employees activated the manual fire suppression system.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
After two days of underwhelming big bank earnings, Wall Street’s bulge bracket stepped up to the plate and hit a home run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
Uganda's youth bulge is both its greatest asset and its most volatile risk.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026
Same face, same height, a bit more bulge to his belly.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
In December 1944, Trautman—who had by this time been promoted to lieutenant colonel—was trapped behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The team plans to use Roman's future Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey, which will repeatedly observe millions of stars in enormous sections of the sky.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026
His father fought in World War II’s Battle of the Bulge and came home to serve as a mailman, before dying of a heart attack in 1961.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025
Another shell casing, authorities say, read "NoTices Bulge OWO What's This?" - a reference to a meme about furry subculture and online roleplaying.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025
He was wounded, not badly, in the waning days of the Battle of the Bulge.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
These repeating bulges are not simply decorative details.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
The Federal Communications Commission began its own inquiry in February; its file of public comments bulges with criticism of the sports-migration trend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The downdrafts can become so severe that air is forced beneath the cloud, creating large bulges of air and water droplets.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2025
The dance represents this with a long white sheet that bulges as if with bodies.
From New York Times ● Apr. 24, 2024
Age and the settling of the house have warped the door completely, so that the top half of the door bulges away from the jamb.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
At one point, the vessel "actually bulged" according to the local fire chief.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
During my first visit to Bhutan, my eyes bulged when this dish, a wooden bowl full of bright red chilis, swimming in a sauce of soft cheese, hit the table.
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2026
Rain saturated soil, bulged rivers and eroded hillsides.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025
Rep. Brad Sherman’s eyes bulged when he was told of his Democratic colleague’s opposition to these earmarks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2023
The swelling had gone down, but my left eye bulged, half my hair was gone, and my mouth drooped to one side.
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
What was it about O’Rourke’s bulging bookshelves that got Kilmeade so shirty?
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Next to her is a bulging Balenciaga mini bag, and a pair of oversized sunglasses on her head are perched atop a mop of jet black curls.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
In the morning—before my aching knee and bulging blisters relegated my saunter to a limp—a 32-mile walk around Manhattan sounded like a good way to spend the first Saturday in May.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
The consumer-price index, due out on Tuesday, is forecast to rise a sharp 0.6% in April after a bulging 0.9% increase in March.
From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026
My pretend armband was only going to pass at a glance, not to mention my oddly bulging shape beneath the coat.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
