hulk

[ huhlk ]

/ hʌlk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hulk ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the body of an old or dismantled ship.

a ship specially built to serve as a storehouse, prison, etc., and not for sea service.

a clumsy-looking or unwieldy ship or boat.

a bulky or unwieldy person, object, or mass.

the shell of a wrecked, burned-out, or abandoned vehicle, building, or the like.

verb (used without object)

to loom in bulky form; appear as a large, massive bulk (often followed by up): The bus hulked up suddenly over the crest of the hill.

British Dialect. to lounge, slouch, or move in a heavy, loutish manner.

Nearby words

hula hoop, hula skirt, hula-hoop, hula-hula, huldre, hulk, hulking, hulky, hull, hull balance, hull down

Origin of hulk

before 1000; Middle English hulke, Old English hulc; perhaps < Medieval Latin hulcus < Greek holkás trading vessel, orig., towed ship

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

Examples from the Web for hulk

Hulk has a more prominent role, and I have a more prominent role.
Jeremy Renner Opens Up About Marriage, His Problems with the Media, and the Future of Hawk-Eye|Marlow Stern|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I just have this personal mental obsession with the Hulk being an Asian-American male icon.
Model Minority Rage: Why the Hulk Should Be an Asian Guy|Arthur Chu|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whenever I take a clickbait quiz to determine which of The Avengers I would be, I always game the questions to aim for the Hulk.
Model Minority Rage: Why the Hulk Should Be an Asian Guy|Arthur Chu|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He disallowed a goal scored by Hulk that would have given Brazil a 2-1 lead.
World Cup 2014 Nail-Biter: Host Country Brazil Defeats Chile on Penalty Kicks|Tunku Varadarajan|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A long, diagonal cross from Marcelo saw the ball reach Hulk, who brought it down to his feet from the top of his monumental chest.
World Cup 2014 Nail-Biter: Host Country Brazil Defeats Chile on Penalty Kicks|Tunku Varadarajan|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The hulk President was a plain solid barque of one thousand tons register, broad in the beam.
Nevermore|Rolf Boldrewood
Down, away across the valley, was the dark water in the bay, the hulk of the yacht dimly discernible through the faint mist.
The Tree of Knowledge|Mrs. Baillie Reynolds
Not more than half a minute had passed since the hulk shook herself clear, but Larmor and Lewis had lived long.
A Dream of the North Sea|James Runciman
So low on the surface of the water were the two, it was impossible to gain any idea of where the life savers or the hulk might be.
The Life Savers|James Otis
The hulk, once gaudy with paint and gilding, has come under the skill of the lapidary and sea-artist.
Lippincott's Magazine Of Popular Literature And Science, No. 23, February, 1873, Vol. XI. No. 23.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hulk

hulk

/ (hʌlk) /

noun

the body of an abandoned vessel

derogatory a large or unwieldy vessel

derogatory a large ungainly person or thing

(often plural) the frame or hull of a ship, used as a storehouse, etc, or (esp in 19th-century Britain) as a prison

verb

(intr) British informal to move clumsily

(intr often foll by up) to rise massively

Word Origin for hulk

Old English hulc, from Medieval Latin hulca, from Greek holkas barge, from helkein to tow

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