bulk

[ buhlk ]

/ bʌlk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bulk ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

magnitude in three dimensions: a ship of great bulk.

the greater part; main mass or body: The bulk of the debt was paid.

goods or cargo not in packages or boxes, usually transported in large volume, as grain, coal, or petroleum.

fiber(def 9).

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

the body of a living creature.

bulk mail.

adjective

being or traded in bulk: bulk grain.

verb (used without object)

to increase in size; expand; swell.

to be of or give the appearance of great weight, size, or importance: The problem bulks large in his mind.

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

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

verb (used with object)

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

to gather, bring together, or mix.

Verb Phrases

bulk up, to increase the bulk of, especially by increasing the thickness of: Adding four chapters will bulk up the book.

Nearby words

bulgur, bulgy, bulimarexia, bulimia, bulimic, bulk, bulk buying, bulk carrier, bulk mail, bulk modulus, bulk up

Idioms

in bulk,

unpackaged: Fresh orange juice is shipped from Florida in bulk.
in large quantities: Those who buy in bulk receive a discount.

Origin of bulk

1400–50; late Middle English bolke heap, cargo, hold < Old Norse bulki cargo, ship's hold

Synonym study

1. See size¹.

Pronunciation note

Bulk and bulge most often are pronounced with the vowel

[uh] /ʌ/ of buck. In South Midland and Southern U.S. the [oo] /ʊ/ of book and bull commonly occurs among all speakers. Standard British speech has only [uh] /ʌ/. 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bulking

His youthful views seem merely that, youthful, like his habit of drinking milk in hope of bulking up his slight, small frame.
David's Book Club: Fellow Travelers|David Frum|July 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The unemployed problem was bulking bigger than usual to the citizens of San Francisco.
Michael, Brother of Jerry|Jack London
Straight as an arrow, bulking large upon a little gray mare, he moved not the fraction of an inch with the question.
Bred of the Desert|Marcus Horton
Slowly, they groped to him, great shadowy forms in wool and leather, bulking over Cappen like storm-gods.
The Valor of Cappen Varra|Poul William Anderson

She fell to the ground, toppling sidewise, and bulking large.
The Poor Little Rich Girl|Eleanor Gates
They went through great chambers, dark and silent and bulking with dusty machines.
The Cosmic Computer|Henry Beam Piper

British Dictionary definitions for bulking (1 of 2)

bulking

/ (ˈbʌlkɪŋ) /

noun

the expansion of excavated material to a volume greater than that of the excavation from which it came

an increase in the volume of dry sand when its moisture content is increased

British Dictionary definitions for bulking (2 of 2)

bulk

/ (bʌlk) /

noun

volume, size, or magnitude, esp when great

the main partthe bulk of the work is repetitious

a large body, esp of a personhe eased his bulk out of the chair

the part of food which passes unabsorbed through the digestive systemhe eased his bulk out of the chair

unpackaged cargo or goods

a ship's cargo or hold

printing

the thickness of a number of sheets of paper or cardboard
the thickness of a book excluding its covers

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

in bulk

in large quantities
(of a cargo, etc) unpackaged

verb

to cohere or cause to cohere in a mass

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

bulk large to be or seem important or prominentthe problem bulked large in his mind

Word Origin for bulk

C15: from Old Norse bulki cargo

usage

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with bulking

bulk

see in bulk.