Jump To:

• bulge
  bulge

  noun

  a rounded projection, bend, or protruding part; protuberance; hump.
• Bulge
  Bulge

  noun

  Battle of the, the final major German counteroffensive in World War II, begun December 16, 1944, and thrusting deep into Allied territory in N and E Belgium: repulsed January 1945.

bulge

¹ American  

[buhlj] / bʌldʒ /

noun

1. a rounded projection, bend, or protruding part; protuberance; hump.

   a bulge in a wall.

2. any sudden increase, as of numbers, sales, or prices.

   the bulge in profits.

3. 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

1. to swell or bend outward; be protuberant.

   Synonyms:

   project, protrude

2. to be filled to capacity.

   The box bulged with cookies.

verb (used with object)

bulges, present (3rd person singular) bulged, past participle, past bulging present participle

1. to make protuberant; cause to swell.

Bulge ² American  

[buhlj] / bʌldʒ /

noun

1. Battle of the, the final major German counteroffensive in World War II, begun December 16, 1944, and thrusting deep into Allied territory in N and E Belgium: repulsed January 1945.

---

bulge ¹ British  

/ bʌldʒ /

noun

1. a swelling or an outward curve

2. a sudden increase in number or volume, esp of population

3. another name for baby boom

4. the projecting part of an army's front line; salient

---

verb

1. to swell outwards

Bulge ² British  

/ bʌldʒ /

noun

1. (in World War II) the final major German counteroffensive in 1944 when the Allied forces were pushed back into NE Belgium; the Germans were repulsed by Jan 1945

---

Pronunciation

See bulk ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bulging
  adjective
• bulgingly
  adverb
• outbulge
  verb
• bulginess
  noun
• bulgy
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has bulged
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have bulged
  perfect
• am bulging
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been bulging
  perfect progressive
• has been bulging
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• is bulging
  progressive 3rd person singular
• bulging
  participle
• are bulging
  progressive
• bulges
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had bulged
  perfect
• had been bulging
  perfect progressive
• was bulging
  progressive singular
• were bulging
  progressive plural
• bulged
  participle
• bulged
  simple

Future

• will bulge
  simple
• will have bulged
  perfect
• will have been bulging
  perfect progressive
• will be bulging
  progressive

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.

Related Words

• lump
• nodule
• wart