- a swelling or an outward curve
- a sudden increase in number or volume, esp of population
- to swell outwards
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
bulge /bʌldʒ/USA pronunciation
n., v., bulged, bulg•ing.
n. [countable]
v. [no object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026n. [countable]
- a rounded part that sticks out of something:She started to exercise to reduce the bulge at her waistline.
- a sudden increase, as in volume:The graphs show the bulge in unemployment for that month.
v. [no object]
- to swell or bend outward;
stick out:His stomach bulged out over his belt. - to be filled completely:[~ + with]The briefcase bulged with papers.
bulge
(bulj),USA pronunciation n., v., bulged, bulg•ing.
n.
v.i.
v.t.
bulg′ing•ly, adv.
Bulge (bulj),USA pronunciation n.
n.
- a rounded projection, bend, or protruding part;
protuberance;
hump:a bulge in a wall. - any sudden increase, as of numbers, sales, or prices:the bulge in profits.
- 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.
- to swell or bend outward;
be protuberant. - to be filled to capacity:The box bulged with cookies.
v.t.
- to make protuberant;
cause to swell.
- Celtic; compare Irish bolg bag
- Latin bulga bag
- Old French
- Middle English: bag, hump 1200–50
- 4. protrude, project, stick out.
- See bulk1.
Bulge (bulj),USA pronunciation n.
- 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