break bulk
Americanadjective
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of or relating to general cargo, usually manufactured goods, that is marked for individual consignees and has to be loaded and unloaded piece by piece at each point of transfer.
Despite the dominance of container shipping, these companies continue to specialize in break bulk cargo, especially in the transport of large vehicles and agricultural equipment, which often need to be broken down into smaller components.
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of or relating to the small, conventional cargo ships designed to hold general cargo.
We are confident that the future of break bulk vessels is safe, with no chance of their becoming redundant.
Etymology
Origin of break bulk
First recorded in 1615–25; break ( def. 10 ) + bulk 1 ( def. 16 )
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.
Until the late 1990s, fresh produce was shipped on break bulk ships—general cargo vessels with big refrigerated spaces—from the production site to a single destination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2018
The delay and expense to which merchants are subjected, when obliged to "break bulk" repeatedly between the port whence they sail and that of their destination, is extreme.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 1. No 1, June 1850 by Various
No vessel was allowed to make entry or break bulk until letters brought by it had been handed over to the Post Office.
From The Development of Rates of Postage An Historical and Analytical Study by Smith, A. D.
I am sure it is rara avis, for if you once "break bulk," as they phrase it, you are in again for all.
From The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims Volume I (of II) by Steinmetz, Andrew
Then," said Harry, "the lugger doesna break bulk here, nor at Embleton outher—that's flat.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 11 by Wilson, John Mackay
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.
