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• 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.

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verb (used without object)

bulged, bulging

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)

bulged, bulging

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.

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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

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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

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Pronunciation

See bulk ¹.

Other Word Forms

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

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.

Example Sentences

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

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

She was in Europe with a bipartisan congressional delegation to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2024

The Democrat, who still represents California in the US House, was travelling with a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Luxembourg to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2024

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

Related Words

• lump
• nodule
• wart