bulk

¹ American  

[buhlk] / bʌlk /

noun

1. magnitude in three dimensions, especially great size or extent: a defensive tackle better known for his bulk than for his speed and agility.

   a ship of massive bulk;

   a defensive tackle better known for his bulk than for his speed and agility.

2. a body or mass, especially a large one: The granite bulk can be seen for 100 miles in many directions.

   The humpback whale was pushing its bulk through the water.

   The granite bulk can be seen for 100 miles in many directions.

3. the greater part; main mass or body.

   The bulk of the debt was paid.

4. Transportation. bulk cargo.

5. fiber.

6. (of paper, cardboard, yarn, etc.) thickness, especially in relation to weight.

7. bulk mail.

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adjective

1. being or traded in bulk.

   bulk grain.

verb (used without object)

• bulks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bulked,
  past participle,  past
• bulking
  present participle

1. to increase in size; expand; swell.

2. to be of or give the appearance of great weight, size, or importance.

   The problem bulks large in his mind.

3. (of paper, cardboard, yarn, etc.) to be of or to acquire a specific thickness, especially in relation to weight.

4. to gather, form, or mix into a cohesive or uniform mass.

verb (used with object)

• bulks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bulked,
  past participle,  past
• bulking
  present participle

1. to cause to swell, grow, or increase in weight or thickness.

2. to gather, bring together, or mix.

verb phrase

1. bulk up to increase the bulk of, especially by increasing the thickness of.

   Adding four chapters will bulk up the book.

idioms

1. in bulk,

   1. unpackaged.

      Fresh orange juice is shipped from Florida in bulk.

   2. in large quantities.

      Those who buy in bulk receive a discount.

bulk ² American  

[buhlk] / bʌlk /

noun

Architecture.

1. a structure, as a stall, projecting from the front of a building.

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bulk British  

/ bʌlk /

noun

1. volume, size, or magnitude, esp when great

2. the main part

   the bulk of the work is repetitious

3. a large body, esp of a person

   he eased his bulk out of the chair

4. the part of food which passes unabsorbed through the digestive system

   he eased his bulk out of the chair

5. unpackaged cargo or goods

6. a ship's cargo or hold

7. printing

   1. the thickness of a number of sheets of paper or cardboard

   2. the thickness of a book excluding its covers

8. (plural) copies of newspapers sold in bulk at a discounted price to hotels, airlines, etc which issue them free to their customers

9. 1. in large quantities

   2. (of a cargo, etc) unpackaged

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verb

1. to cohere or cause to cohere in a mass

2. to place, hold, or transport (several cargoes of goods) in bulk

3. to be or seem important or prominent

   the problem bulked large in his mind

bulk More Idioms  

1. see in bulk.

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Pronunciation

Bulk and bulge most often are pronounced with the vowel of buck. In South Midland and Southern U.S. the of book and bull commonly occurs among all speakers. Standard British speech has only . Both types exist in British regional speech, and both were brought to the colonies, where each came to predominate in a different area and was carried west by migration.

Usage

The use of a plural noun after bulk was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable

Synonym Usage

See size ¹.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• bulking
  present
• bulked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bulk
  simple
• bulks
  simple
• have bulked
  perfect
• has bulked
  perfect
• am bulking
  progressive
• are bulking
  progressive
• is bulking
  progressive
• have been bulking
  perfect progressive
• has been bulking
  perfect progressive

Past

• bulked
  simple
• had bulked
  perfect
• was bulking
  progressive
• were bulking
  progressive
• had been bulking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bulk
  simple
• will have bulked
  perfect
• will be bulking
  progressive
• will have been bulking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bulk¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English bolke, bulke “heap, cargo, hold,” from Old Norse bulki “cargo, ship's hold”

Origin of bulk²

First recorded in 1580–90; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Old Norse bálkr “partition, balk”

Explanation

Don’t be intimidated by the bulk of the dictionary on your desk. If you look in it, you’ll see that bulk is a small word used to talk about large things. Bulk has a variety of meanings that all involve something large, like the bulk of a ship in the harbor, or the excess bulk of your overweight cat. Bulk can also mean “majority,” as when the bulk of your diet is tater tots and guacamole. You can expect to put on a lot of bulk if you eat like that.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bulk bulks bulked bulking

Although tax-induced accounting changes explain a portion of this change, the bulk of it represents a structural shift in the relationship between labor and capital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Islam was the captain of the Banglar Joyjatra, a bulk carrier that had arrived in the Gulf a month before the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

That brings up the biggest issue to consider when buying a new house at 70 with the bulk of your savings.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

The bulk carrier Sabetta was tracked after loading what appeared to be military vehicles at the port in February.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Jam backed away slightly, casting her eyes repeatedly at Pet’s silent bulk for comfort.

From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi

If the peptides are ultimately added to the bulks list for compounding, that does not mean they are FDA-approved.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

While it bulks up, the expansion in its markets’ business balance sheet also weighed on Wells Fargo’s net interest margin in the first quarter, the bank told analysts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

Litigation and pressure from the industry and lawmakers delayed for decades the creation of the bulks list, leaving compounders in limbo on scores of substances, not just peptides.

From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026

For a man who has always emphasised his desire to play good football, he cannot have enjoyed what he has seen for bulks of this season.

From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026

Five boys and a girl had forged those scars with the bulks of their unborn selves.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Those enhancements include better brand assortment, enhanced in-store experience, bulked up staffing, and seamless digital integration.

From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026

Traders turned to safe-haven assets and bulked up on defense stocks, as the biggest market movements in early European trading came away from oil majors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026

The programming build-up accelerated as the company prepared to launch Disney+ in late 2019, and it bulked up its staff to handle the more robust pipeline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2025

Darge isn't the biggest back row, weighing in at 15st 6lb, but has bulked up his ball-carrying.

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2025

Each day bulked, a wrong guess, a thing Ralph had failed to take into account.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Without this final step, electronics will only gain capability by bulking up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

Jason Schloetzer, a business professor at Georgetown University, said in an interview that tech companies were still shrinking staff after bulking up during the pandemic.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 1, 2026

Manager Arne Slot has spoken about Wirtz and Ekitike bulking up in order to thrive in the Premier League, with the German undertaking a weight-gain programme and focusing on building muscle, durability and improving recovery.

From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2025

DoorDash is bulking up internationally, acquiring Deliveroo in the U.K. to deepen its European footprint.

From Barron's ● Dec. 10, 2025

“Looks like the away team really puts an emphasis on bulking up.”

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

Related Words

• amount
• extent
• quantity
• total
• volume
• weight