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hulking

American  
[huhl-king] / ˈhʌl kɪŋ /

adjective

  1. heavy and clumsy; bulky.

    Synonyms:
    ponderous, cumbersome, massive
hulking British  
/ ˈhʌlkɪŋ /

adjective

  1. Also: hulky.  big and ungainly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hulking

First recorded in 1690–1700; hulk + -ing 2

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.

Hulking bull sharks lay dead in the sand.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 15, 2024

Hulking Alabama transfer Ishmael Sophser could change that calculus, depending on how his recovery from compartment syndrome continues this fall.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2021

Hulking among the puny bacteria and amoebae were long, segmented worms complete with a head at one end and anus at the other — nematodes.

From Washington Post • Jul. 5, 2019

Hulking offensive linemen were “the big uglies down in the trenches.”

From Reuters • Jan. 13, 2018

Hulking things of metal, enamel, and glass, the steam-powered machinery filled the room with a rhythmic hum, like the stomach processing its food.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.