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• hull
  hull

  noun

  the husk, shell, or outer covering of a seed or fruit.
• Hull
  Hull

  noun

  Bobby Robert Marvin Hull, 1939–2023, Canadian ice-hockey player, known as “the Golden Jet”: Hockey Hall of Fame 1983.

hull

¹ American  

[huhl] / hʌl /

noun

1. the husk, shell, or outer covering of a seed or fruit.

   Synonyms:

   shuck, rind, peel, pod, skin

2. the calyx of certain fruits, as the strawberry.

3. any covering or envelope.

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verb (used with object)

1. to remove the hull of.

2. Midland U.S. to shell (peas or beans).

hull ² American  

[huhl] / hʌl /

noun

1. the hollow, lowermost portion of a ship, floating partially submerged and supporting the remainder of the ship.

2. Aeronautics.

   1. the boatlike fuselage of a flying boat on which the plane lands or takes off.

   2. the cigar-shaped arrangement of girders enclosing the gasbag of a rigid dirigible.

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verb (used with object)

1. to pierce (the hull of a ship), especially below the water line.

verb (used without object)

1. to drift without power or sails.

idioms

1. hull down, (of a ship) sufficiently far away, or below the horizon, that the hull is invisible.

2. hull up, (of a ship) sufficiently near, or above the horizon, that the hull is visible.

Hull ³ American  

[huhl] / hʌl /

noun

1. Bobby Robert Marvin Hull, 1939–2023, Canadian ice-hockey player, known as “the Golden Jet”: Hockey Hall of Fame 1983.

2. Cordell 1871–1955, U.S. secretary of state 1933–44, known as “the Father of the United Nations”: Nobel Peace Prize 1945.

3. William, 1753–1825, U.S. general, court-martialed and sentenced to death after surrendering a U.S. fort to the British during the War of 1812: pardoned by President Madison.

4. Official Name Kingston-upon-Hull.  a seaport in Humberside, in eastern England, on the Humber River.

5. a city in southeastern Canada, on the Ottawa River opposite Ottawa.

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Hull ¹ British  

/ hʌl /

noun

1. Cordell. 1871–1955, US statesman; secretary of state (1933–44). He helped to found the U.N.: Nobel peace prize 1945

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hull ² British  

/ hʌl /

noun

1. the main body of a vessel, tank, flying boat, etc

2. the shell or pod of peas or beans; the outer covering of any fruit or seed; husk

3. the persistent calyx at the base of a strawberry, raspberry, or similar fruit

4. the outer casing of a missile, rocket, etc

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verb

1. to remove the hulls from (fruit or seeds)

2. (tr) to pierce the hull of (a vessel, tank, etc)

Hull ³ British  

/ hʌl /

noun

1. a city and port in NE England, in Kingston upon Hull unitary authority, East Riding of Yorkshire: fishing, food processing; two universities. Pop: 301 416 (2001). Official name: Kingston upon Hull

2. a city in SE Canada, in SW Quebec on the River Ottawa: a centre of the timber trade and associated industries. Pop: 66 246 (2001)

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hull Scientific  

/ hŭl /

1. The dry outer covering of a fruit, seed, or nut; a husk.

2. The enlarged calyx of a fruit, such as a strawberry, that is usually green and easily detached.

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Other Word Forms

• huller
  noun
• hull-less
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of hull¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English hulu “husk, pod”; akin to Old English helan “to cover, hide,” Latin cēlāre “to hide, conceal,” Greek kalýptein “to cover up” ( see apocalypse); see conceal, hell

Origin of hull²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; special use of hull ¹

Explanation

A sailor who is far out at sea has to hope that the hull of her boat is watertight. The hull of a boat or a ship is its outer body. A boat's hull can be made of wood, metal, or fiberglass — it gives a boat or ship its shape and keeps water out. Another kind of hull is the outer covering of a seed. Corn, for example, has a hull that is removed when you husk it and reveal the kernels. This kind of hull is thought to be the root of the nautical hull, probably based on the similarity between a ship's hull and an open pea pod.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hull Hull

This study is the first to combine molecular and pollen analysis to identify the ship's coatings and reconstruct the vegetation present when those materials were produced and applied to the hull.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

To create the sequence, Nolan’s team built a sort of silo on the beach, rigging it with minuscule LED lights to mimic sunlight leaking through chinks in the horse’s hull.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Some passengers were frantically clinging to the hull of the partially submerged vessel, he said, as rescuers administered CPR to a man on a San Francisco police boat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

The onboard footage shows the unmanned vessel evading fire as it approaches the tanker, before the video cuts out as it approaches the ship's hull.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Vines, branches, and plants weave together into a thicket that is longer and thicker than the hull of the Taíno.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Kate has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which affects connective tissue and was admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary with a suspected intestinal failure.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

David Matthews, from Elloughton, said his daughter, Kate, 36, has been receiving treatment at Hull Royal Infirmary since March and had spent time in intensive care.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Sophie Baxter, 31, from Hull, describes herself as alternative and runs a social group for "emos, goths and moshers" to meet like-minded people who "understand where you're coming from".

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

He told me, with absolutely no artifice, that what he finds more interesting about the championship is whether Hull would face relegation or if Leeds could finish in the top half of the table.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

The next day after my mother and Mrs. Hull had gone shopping, Andrea turned on the Victrola.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

Related Words

• frame
• skin