Meaning & use
bulging
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Sticking out in a rounded shape, as if pushed from inside.
Grammar: Before a noun (a bulging bag) or after a verb (the bag was bulging).
Patterns
- a bulging bag
- bulging with something
She carried a bulging bag of groceries up the stairs.
The old suitcase was bulging at the seams.
His bulging muscles showed through the shirt.
adjectiveafter a verb
Very full, often more than the container can comfortably hold.
Grammar: Usually followed by with: bulging with papers.
Patterns
- bulging with something
His pockets were bulging with candy.
The shelves were bulging with books.
The inbox was bulging with unread messages.
adjectivebefore a noun
Of eyes, standing out in a wide, staring way from surprise or strain.
Grammar: Used with eyes in descriptions of shock or illness.
Patterns
- bulging eyes
The cartoon character had bulging eyes.
He stared at the bill with bulging eyes.
The frog's bulging eyes sat above the water.
Common combinations
- bulging eyes
- The fish had bulging eyes.
- bulging with
- The drawer was bulging with old letters.
- bulging pockets
- The children ran home with bulging pockets.
- bulging muscles
- Weightlifters often have bulging muscles.
- bulging waistline
- A bulging waistline worried him.
Synonyms and how they differ
- protruding
- Protruding is neutral and means sticking out, while bulging adds the idea of being pushed outward by pressure.
- swollen
- Swollen suggests puffed up by fluid or injury.
- overflowing
- Overflowing means so full that contents spill, whereas bulging means full but not yet spilling.
- jutting
- Jutting describes something sharp, such as a cliff or chin, rather than rounded.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bulging or bulky?
bulging vs bulky
Bulky means large and awkward to handle, but not necessarily rounded outward.
Practice
The backpack was so full that it was ______ at the seams.
Choose one answer.
Bulging means swelling out because something is overfull, matching the stretched seams. Shrinking, fading and hollow do not suit a packed bag.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bulging”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.