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⇱ bulge - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

bulge

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈbʌldʒ/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/bʌldʒ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(bulj)

Inflections of 'bulge' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
bulges
v 3rd person singular
bulging
v pres p
bulged
v past
bulged
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
bulge /bʌldʒ/USA pronunciation   n., v., bulged, bulg•ing. 
n. [countable]
  1. a rounded part that sticks out of something:She started to exercise to reduce the bulge at her waistline.
  2. a sudden increase, as in volume:The graphs show the bulge in unemployment for that month.

v. [no object]
  1. to swell or bend outward;
    stick out:His stomach bulged out over his belt.
  2. to be filled completely:[~ + with]The briefcase bulged with papers.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
bulge  (bulj),USA pronunciation n., v., bulged, bulg•ing. 
n. 
  1. a rounded projection, bend, or protruding part;
    protuberance;
    hump:a bulge in a wall.
  2. any sudden increase, as of numbers, sales, or prices:the bulge in profits.
  3. a rising in small waves on the surface of a body of water, caused by the action of a fish or fishes in pursuit of food underwater.

v.i. 
  1. to swell or bend outward;
    be protuberant.
  2. to be filled to capacity:The box bulged with cookies.

v.t. 
  1. to make protuberant;
    cause to swell.
  • Celtic; compare Irish bolg bag
  • Latin bulga bag
  • Old French
  • Middle English: bag, hump 1200–50
bulg′ing•ly, adv. 
    4. protrude, project, stick out.
    See bulk1. 
Bulge  (bulj),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Government Battle of the, the final major German counteroffensive in World War II, begun December 16, 1944, and thrusting deep into Allied territory in N and E Belgium: repulsed January 1945.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
bulge /bʌldʒ/ n
  1. a swelling or an outward curve
  2. a sudden increase in number or volume, esp of population
 vb
  1. to swell outwards
Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French bouge, from Latin bulga bag, probably of Gaulish originˈbulging adj ˈbulgy adj
'bulge' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: the bag was bulging with [goodies, purchases, groceries], bulge under the weight (of), bulges [in the middle, out at the front], more...

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