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
Railroads do not break bulk between North and South.
From The South and the National Government by Taft, William H.
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
To this article she read in Latin an objection to the proviso, and said it was reasonable that, if they did break bulk, they should pay custom for so much only as they sold.
From A Journal of the Swedish Embassy in the Years 1653 and 1654, Vol II. by Morton, Charles
Various shipments consigned to Baltic ports are landed at this city; here the cargoes break bulk and are again trans-shipped to their destination.
From Commercial Geography A Book for High Schools, Commercial Courses, and Business Colleges by Redway, Jacques W. (Jacques Wardlaw)
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.
