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

Example Sentences

Publicly-owned Lothian Buses is widely regarded as of the UK's best operators, a point demonstrated by the bulging awards trophy cabinet at its Edinburgh headquarters.

From BBC

López declared of the bulging cholesterol bomb, typically dripping in hot sauce.

From Los Angeles Times

A few days later he came in to see that the heads of the barrels were bulging and beer was leaking.

From The Wall Street Journal

Rain saturated soil, bulged rivers and eroded hillsides.

From The Wall Street Journal

The glass tower — emerging from a cluster of angled columns — cinches inward at its waist, bulging outward again as it rises, like a figure leaning into a twirl.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• lump
• nodule
• wart