Meaning & use
bulge
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Meanings
nouncountable
A rounded lump or swelling that pushes out from a surface that is normally flat.
Grammar: Countable: a bulge in the wall.
Patterns
- a bulge in something
- a bulge under something
There was a bulge in the carpet where the pipe ran.
He hid a small bulge under his jacket.
The wall had a worrying bulge near the window.
nouncountablefigurative
A sudden, temporary increase in number or amount, for example in a population or the demand for something.
Grammar: Usually figurative: a bulge in sales.
Patterns
- a bulge in something
The baby boom created a bulge in the school population.
The schools coped with a bulge in applications.
Sales showed a short bulge before the holidays.
verbintransitive
To stick out in a rounded shape, often because something inside is pushing against the surface.
Grammar: Often with with: pockets bulging with candy.
Patterns
- bulge with something
- bulge out
Her bag bulged with books on the first day of school.
The tire bulged dangerously after the nail went in.
His muscles bulged as he lifted the box.
verbintransitivefigurative
To be completely full of something, so that it nearly spills out.
Grammar: Used with with: the room bulged with people.
Patterns
- bulge with something
The files bulged with unpaid bills.
The stadium was bulging with fans.
His inbox bulged with unread messages.
Word forms
| plural | bulges |
|---|---|
| third person singular | bulges |
| past tense | bulged |
| past participle | bulged |
| -ing form | bulging |
Common combinations
- bulge with
- The suitcase bulged with souvenirs.
- a bulge in
- There was a bulge in his coat pocket.
- bulging eyes
- The surprised cat stared with bulging eyes.
- bulging muscles
- The weightlifter showed his bulging muscles.
- battle of the bulge
- He joined a gym to fight the battle of the bulge.
- youth bulge
- Many countries are facing a youth bulge in their population.
Synonyms and how they differ
- swelling
- Swelling usually refers to a part growing larger because of injury or fluid, whereas bulge simply describes a rounded outward shape.
- lump
- A lump is a solid, often small, hard mass, while a bulge is a smooth outward curve.
- protrude
- Protrude means to stick out, often sharply, and is more formal than bulge.
- hump
- A hump is a rounded raised area, such as on a camel, and is usually a permanent feature.
Opposites
Word family
- bulging adjective
- sticking out in a round shape
- bulgy adjective
- informal word for bulging
- bulged adjective
- having swollen outward
Commonly confused: bulge or bilge? bulge or Bulgaria?
bulge vs bilge
The bilge is the lowest inside part of a ship, or informal for nonsense, and is a different word from bulge.
bulge vs Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a country in Europe, and the similar spelling is only a coincidence.
Practice
Her backpack was ___ with textbooks and sports gear.
Choose one answer.
Bulging with describes something stretched because it is very full. The other verbs mean the opposite or do not take with here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bulge”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.