bulge
noun
a rounded projection, bend, or protruding part; protuberance; hump.
bulge
1 American
[buhlj]
/ bʌldʒ /
noun
-
bulges
plural
-
a rounded projection, bend, or protruding part; protuberance; hump.
a bulge in a wall.
-
any sudden increase, as of numbers, sales, or prices.
the bulge in profits.
-
a rising in small waves on the surface of a body of water, caused by the action of a fish or fishes in pursuit of food underwater.
verb (used without object)
-
bulges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bulged,
past participle, past
-
bulging
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
bulges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bulged,
past participle, past
-
bulging
present participle
Bulge
2
American
[buhlj]
/ bʌldʒ /
noun
bulge
1
British
/ bʌldʒ /
noun
-
a swelling or an outward curve
-
a sudden increase in number or volume, esp of population
-
another name for baby boom
-
the projecting part of an army's front line; salient
verb
Bulge
2
British
/ bʌldʒ /
noun
Pronunciation
See bulk 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bulgesimple
-
bulgessimple
-
have bulgedperfect
-
has bulgedperfect
-
am bulgingprogressive
-
are bulgingprogressive
-
is bulgingprogressive
-
have been bulgingperfect progressive
-
has been bulgingperfect progressive
Past
-
bulgedsimple
-
had bulgedperfect
-
was bulgingprogressive
-
were bulgingprogressive
-
had been bulgingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bulge
1200–50; Middle English: bag, hump < Old French < Latin bulga bag < Celtic; compare Irish bolg bag
Explanation
To bulge is to stick out, making a bump called a bulge. A leak in the roof might make your ceiling bulge, and a giant feast could make a bulge over your waistband. The word bulge comes from the Old French word bouge for "wallet.” A full wallet makes a bulge in a guy’s back pocket. Bodybuilders' muscles bulge out of their bodies. A pimple is a tiny bulge on your skin. For the record, Battle of the Bulge isn’t a diet plan. It was a battle in World War II. Americans called it the Battle of the Bulge because of the way the Allied front line bulged inward.
Vocabulary lists containing bulge
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish
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A Farewell To Arms
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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.
See Examples For:
In China, a huge bulge of working-age people helped amplify sweeping economic reforms that turbocharged its economy starting in the 1980s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
By contrast, stars in the galactic bulge are older and tend to be richer in elements such as silicon, oxygen, and magnesium.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026
He was so effective guarding Millogo despite having three fouls that Notre Dame turned a five-point halftime lead into a 20-point bulge through three quarters en route to a 71-48 victory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026
After two days of underwhelming big bank earnings, Wall Street’s bulge bracket stepped up to the plate and hit a home run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
She wiped a doughy hand against the slight bulge under her apron.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
The team plans to use Roman's future Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey, which will repeatedly observe millions of stars in enormous sections of the sky.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026
“My dad fought in the Battle of the Bulge, right?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026
Another shell casing, authorities say, read "NoTices Bulge OWO What's This?" - a reference to a meme about furry subculture and online roleplaying.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025
Roland L. Bragg, a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2025
Though the Germans fell on the Americans like a whirlwind, more American reinforcements soon arrived and launched a vicious counterattack known as the Battle of the Bulge.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The Federal Communications Commission began its own inquiry in February; its file of public comments bulges with criticism of the sports-migration trend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The downdrafts can become so severe that air is forced beneath the cloud, creating large bulges of air and water droplets.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2025
If plasma bulges out and touches the walls of the reactor, for example, it can erode the walls over time.
From Science Daily ● May 28, 2024
You get a sense of his vertical straightaways and of the tasteful, nose-shaped bulges on a slate piece called “Gregory.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
Behind the compound are a few tall towers with bulges at the top—I don’t know why, but I think of the control room when I see them, and wonder if that’s what they are.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
“Maybe we take a break from spending the night at Taylor’s,” he said, as several veins bulged out of his forehead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Outside the sky bulged with clouds so dark they looked like a CG rendition of hell and the mandatory evacuation area was only three blocks away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2025
She said plasterboard in her ceiling became so damp it bulged and started dripping.
From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2024
McConnell chafed at this and his beady little eyes bulged with contempt as he had to choke down the filth Trump spewed.
From Salon ● Feb. 29, 2024
Carmen and her best friend, Tony, had watched in horror as the tank began to shake, as its rounded steel sides bulged in and out.
From "I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919" by Lauren Tarshis
That was the heartfelt message from JSerra High football players directed toward Godschoice Eboigbodin as he walked around campus looking like a high school version of Thor with his bulging muscles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
What was it about O’Rourke’s bulging bookshelves that got Kilmeade so shirty?
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Rogers, the GOP Senate candidate in Michigan, went viral recently when a photo was posted on X depicting him with muscles bulging out of his shirt at a parade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The consumer-price index, due out on Tuesday, is forecast to rise a sharp 0.6% in April after a bulging 0.9% increase in March.
From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026
We joked about her handbag, which we worried was an inducement for muggers, since it was big and bulging.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
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.
