in bulk
Idioms-
Unpackaged, loose, as in It's cheaper to buy rice in bulk . [Late 1600s]
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In large amounts or volume, as in The ship was carrying wheat in bulk . [Mid-1700s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Businesses that bring in bulk volumes typically get a rate discount from the Postal Service.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
Unlike mains gas, heating oil has to be ordered and delivered in bulk every few months to a tank attached to each property.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
“It’s more like throwing away unused groceries or continuing to go to Costco or some of those expensive stores and buying in bulk, and then throwing away much of it.”
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
Plus, officials had to pay to conduct searches one by one, not in bulk.
From Salon • Feb. 27, 2026
Mama was slung over his shoulder like the jute sacks of rice his factory workers bought in bulk at the Seme Border.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
