WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
hull1 /hʌl/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Botanythe outer covering of a seed or fruit.

v. [~ + object]
  1. to remove the hull of;
    skin, peel, shell, or shuck.

hull2 /hʌl/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Nautical, Naval Termsthe hollow lowermost portion of a ship.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
hull1  (hul),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Botanythe husk, shell, or outer covering of a seed or fruit.
  2. Botanythe calyx of certain fruits, as the strawberry.
  3. any covering or envelope.

v.t. 
  1. to remove the hull of.
  2. Dialect Terms[Midland U.S.]to shell (peas or beans).
  • bef. 1000; Middle English; Old English hulu husk, pod; akin to Old English helan to cover, hide, Latin cēlāre to hide, conceal, Greek kalýptein to cover up (see apocalypse). See hall, hell, hole
hull′er, n. 
    1. skin, pod, peel, rind, shuck.
hull2  (hul),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Nautical, Naval Termsthe hollow, lowermost portion of a ship, floating partially submerged and supporting the remainder of the ship.
  2. Aeronautics
    • the boatlike fuselage of a flying boat on which the plane lands or takes off.
    • the cigar-shaped arrangement of girders enclosing the gasbag of a rigid dirigible.
  3. Nautical, Idioms, Naval Terms hull down, (of a ship) sufficiently far away, or below the horizon, that the hull is invisible.
  4. Nautical, Naval Terms, Idioms hull up, (of a ship) sufficiently near, or above the horizon, that the hull is visible.

v.t. 
  1. Nautical, Naval Termsto pierce (the hull of a ship), esp. below the water line.

v.i. 
  1. Nautical, Naval Termsto drift without power or sails.
  • 1350–1400; Middle English; special use of hull1
hull′-less, adj. 

Hull  (hul),USA pronunciation n. 
    Cor•dell  (kôr′del, kôr del′),USA pronunciation 1871–1955, U.S. statesman: Secretary of State 1933–44;
    Nobel peace prize 1945.
  1. Biographical Robert Marvin (Bobby), born 1939, Canadian ice-hockey player.
  2. Biographical William, 1753–1825, U.S. general.
  3. Place NamesOfficial name, Kingston-upon-Hull. a seaport in Humberside, in E England, on the Humber River. 279,700.
  4. Place Namesa city in SE Canada, on the Ottawa River opposite Ottawa. 61,039.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
hull /hʌl/ n
  1. the main body of a vessel, tank, flying boat, etc
  2. the shell or pod of peas or beans; the outer covering of any fruit or seed; husk
  3. the persistent calyx at the base of a strawberry, raspberry, or similar fruit
  4. the outer casing of a missile, rocket, etc
 vb
  1. to remove the hulls from (fruit or seeds)
  2. (transitive) to pierce the hull of (a vessel, tank, etc)
Etymology: Old English hulu; related to Old High German helawa, Old English helan to hide
'hulls' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
catamaran - fibreglass - hull - trimaran - ABS resin - antifouling - boilerplate - dehull - fiberglass - friezing - margin line - pick - trampoline

Forum discussions with the word(s) "hulls" in the title:


Look up "hulls" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "hulls" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!

Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.