noun
1.
magnitude in three dimensions: a ship of great bulk.
2.
the greater part; main mass or body: The bulk of the debt was paid.
3.
goods or cargo not in packages or boxes, usually transported in large volume, as grain, coal, or petroleum.
4.
fiber ( def 9 ).
5.
(of paper, cardboard, yarn, etc.) thickness, especially in relation to weight.
adjective
8.
being or traded in bulk: bulk grain.
00:10
Bulk
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
verb (used without object)
9.
to increase in size; expand; swell.
10.
to be of or give the appearance of great weight, size, or importance: The problem bulks large in his mind.
11.
(of paper, cardboard, yarn, etc.) to be of or to acquire a specific thickness, especially in relation to weight.
12.
to gather, form, or mix into a cohesive or uniform mass.
verb (used with object)
Verb phrases 13.
to cause to swell, grow, or increase in weight or thickness.
14.
to gather, bring together, or mix.
15.
Idioms bulk up, to increase the bulk of, especially by increasing the thickness of: Adding four chapters will bulk up the book.
16.
in bulk,
a.
unpackaged: Fresh orange juice is shipped from Florida in bulk.
b.
in large quantities: Those who buy in bulk receive a discount.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English bolke heap, cargo, hold < Old Norse bulki cargo, ship's hold
1400–50; late Middle English bolke heap, cargo, hold < Old Norse bulki cargo, ship's hold
Pronunciation note
Bulk and bulge most often are pronounced with the vowel
[uh] of buck. In South Midland and Southern U.S. the [oo] of book and bull commonly occurs among all speakers. Standard British speech has only [uh]. 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.
Bulk and bulge most often are pronounced with the vowel
[uh] of buck. In South Midland and Southern U.S. the [oo] of book and bull commonly occurs among all speakers. Standard British speech has only [uh]. 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
noun Architecture.
a structure, as a stall, projecting from the front of a building.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To bulk
Collins
World English Dictionary
bulk (bʌlk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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 |
| a. the thickness of a number of sheets of paper or cardboard | |
| b. 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. | in bulk |
| a. in large quantities | |
| b. (of a cargo, etc) unpackaged | |
| —vb | |
| 10. | to cohere or cause to cohere in a mass |
| 11. | to place, hold, or transport (several cargoes of goods) in bulk |
| 12. | bulk large to be or seem important or prominent: the problem bulked large in his mind |
| usage The use of a plural noun after bulk was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
bulk
mid-15c., from O.N. bulki "a heap, ship's cargo," thus "goods loaded loose," perhaps lit. "rolled-up load," from P.Gmc. *bul-, from PIE *bhl-, from base *bhel- (2) "to blow, swell" (see bole). Meaning extended by confusion with obsolete bouk "belly" (from O.E. buc, from P.Gmc.
*bukaz, from PIE root meaning "to swell"), which led to sense of "size," first attested mid-15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
Above, within the main bulk of the pyramid, the second tunnel system leads up to a series of funerary vaults.
Part of the problem is that the bulk of your bulk is stored inside fat cells.
Some publishers offer discounts to scholars and to people who order in bulk.
Nevertheless, the bulk of climate science suggests that similar events will become more frequent and severe in the future.
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