bulb

[ buhlb ]

/ bʌlb /

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See synonyms for bulb on Thesaurus.com

noun

Botany.

a usually subterranean and often globular bud having fleshy leaves emergent at the top and a stem reduced to a flat disk, rooting from the underside, as in the onion and lily.
a plant growing from such a bud.

any round, enlarged part, especially at the end of a cylindrical object: the bulb of a thermometer.

Electricity.

the glass housing, in which a partial vacuum has been established, that contains the filament of an incandescent electric lamp.
an incandescent or fluorescent electric lamp.

Anatomy. any of various small, bulb-shaped structures or protuberances: olfactory bulb; bulb of urethra.

medulla oblongata.

Building Trades. a rounded thickening at the toe of an angle iron or tee.

Nautical. a cylindrical or spherical prominence at the forefoot of certain vessels.

Photography. a shutter setting in which the shutter remains open as long as the shutter release is depressed. Symbol: B

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

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What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bulb

1560–70; <Latin bulbus<Greek bolbós onion, bulbous plant

OTHER WORDS FROM bulb

bulbed, adjectivebulbless, adjective

Words nearby bulb

Bukharin, bukkake, Bukovina, Bul, Bulawayo, bulb, bulbar, bulbar myelitis, bulbar paralysis, bulb fly, bulbiferous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use bulb in a sentence

Just one thing, however, if you live in the South, you might have to buy your bulbs and store them for about six weeks in your refrigerator, where they can be kept cold, but not freezing.
Hints From Heloise: Give seniors a break!|Heloise Heloise|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
The company is well known for its wide range of electronics offerings that include personal audio devices, smart bulbs, and electric toothbrushes.
Best air fryer: Five things to consider|PopSci Commerce Team|December 4, 2020|Popular-Science
Scratch the bulb, or bruise the green tops, and you should immediately smell the familiar oniony odor.
13 edible plants you can still find in the winter|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 1, 2020|Popular-Science
Winslow thinks of leeks as somewhere between a scallion and a bulb onion.
Onions, shallots, scallions and leeks are mostly interchangeable in recipes. Here’s how to use what you have.|Becky Krystal|November 23, 2020|Washington Post

Richard said he wanted to kiss Susan good night when he walked her to the door, but her mother had put a blindingly bright bulb in the porch light.
Old flames sometimes set new relationships alight|John Kelly|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
One day, he took a monk with a cleanly shaven head and had him walk around a light bulb to demonstrate this theory.
From Fashion Player to Photographer Monk|Nina Strochlic|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The trade in empty bottles should be as eyebrow-raising as the old Soviet dud-bulb biz.
The Cult of Pappy van Winkle|Eric Felten|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His bright idea turned out to be the incandescent light bulb, which he invented in 1880.
From Edison to Jobs|The Daily Beast|September 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Death waits for these things as a cement floor waits for a dropping light bulb.
American Dreams: Saul Bellow’s Masterpiece of Lamentation|Nathaniel Rich|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2007, the Bush administration signed a measure that would finally bring the light bulb into the 21st century.
The Chicken Littles Are Wrong: Environmental Regulations Always Spur Innovation|Daniel Gross|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bang went the fragile bulb, as it splintered into a thousand atoms, and the mercury shot in sparkling globules over the table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Should it fail, the fluid can generally be pumped out by alternate compression of the tube and the bulb.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Then the tip end was broken off, and the bulb being a vacuum, the colored water was drawn into it, and filled the globe.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various
When, with returning fair weather, the atmospheric pressure increases, the water can no longer bulge or drop out of the bulb.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various
In this chair is a charge of high explosive and above it a glass bulb containing sulphuric acid.
Average Jones|Samuel Hopkins Adams

British Dictionary definitions for bulb

bulb

/ (bʌlb) /

noun

a rounded organ of vegetative reproduction in plants such as the tulip and onion: a flattened stem bearing a central shoot surrounded by fleshy nutritive inner leaves and thin brown outer leavesCompare corm

a plant, such as a hyacinth or daffodil, that grows from a bulb

See light bulb

a rounded part of an instrument such as a syringe or thermometer

anatomy a rounded expansion of a cylindrical organ or part, such as the medulla oblongata

Also called: bulbous bow a bulbous protuberance at the forefoot of a ship to reduce turbulence

Word Origin for bulb

C16: from Latin bulbus, from Greek bolbos onion

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

Medical definitions for bulb

bulb

[ bŭlb ]

A globular or fusiform anatomical structure or enlargement.

Scientific definitions for bulb

bulb

[ bŭlb ]

A rounded underground storage organ that contains the shoot of a new plant. A bulb consists of a short stem surrounded by fleshy scales (modified leaves) that store nourishment for the new plant. Tulips, lilies, and onions grow from bulbs. Compare corm rhizome runner tuber.

bulb

Origin of bulb

OTHER WORDS FROM bulb

Words nearby bulb

Words related to bulb

How to use bulb in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bulb

Word Origin for bulb

Medical definitions for bulb

Scientific definitions for bulb