Definition of BULK

bulk

Plural: bulks

Noun

  • the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
    • "the bulk of the work is finished"
  • the property of something that is great in magnitude
    • "it is cheaper to buy it in bulk"
  • the property possessed by a large mass
  • Size, specifically, volume.
  • Any huge body or structure.
  • The major part of something.
  • The major part of something.
  • Majority, balance.
  • The major part of something.
  • Gist.
  • Dietary fibre.
  • Unpackaged goods when transported in large volumes, e.g. coal, ore, or grain.
  • A cargo or any items moved or communicated in the manner of cargo.
  • Excess body mass, especially muscle.
  • A period where one tries to gain muscle.
  • A hypothetical higher-dimensional space within which our own four-dimensional universe may exist.
  • The body.

Verb

Verb Forms: bulked, bulking, bulks

  • To assume importance; to increase in size or mass.
  • stick out or up
    • "The parcel bulked in the sack"
  • cause to bulge or swell outwards
  • To appear or seem to be, as to bulk or extent.
  • To grow in size; to swell or expand.
  • To gain body mass by means of diet, exercise, etc.
  • To put or hold in bulk.
  • To add bulk to; to bulk out.

Adj

  • Being large in size, mass, or volume (of goods, etc.).
  • Total.

Examples

  • He needed to bulk up his score before his opponent could make another big play.
  • I understood the bulk of what you were saying, just one of two points I need to hear again.
  • The bulk of my income comes from my office job, but I also teach a couple of evening classes.
  • The bulk of the criticisms were invalid.
  • The obese woman couldn't ease her bulk through the narrow passageway.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English bulk, bolke (“a heap, cargo, hold; heap; bulge”), borrowed from Old Norse búlki (“the freight or the cargo of a ship”), from Proto-Germanic *bulkô (“beam, pile, heap”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ- (“beam, pile, prop”). Compare Icelandic búlkast (“to be bulky”), Swedish dialectal bulk (“a bunch”), Danish bulk (“bump, knob”).
Conflated with Middle English bouk (“belly, trunk”).

Synonyms

bulge, majority, mass, volume

Antonyms

minority

Scrabble Score: 10

bulk: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
bulk: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
bulk: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

bulk: valid Words With Friends Word