bulged; bulging; bulges
1
a
: to jut out : swell
b
: to become swollen or protuberant
… a pair of arresting pale blue eyes that tend to bulge maniacally …—
Jeremy Egner
Jeremy Egner
c
: to bend outward
prevent the brick wall from bulging
2
: to be filled to overflowing
a notebook that bulged with ideas
3
archaic
: bilge
: to cause to bulge
plural bulges
1
: a protuberant or swollen part or place
a bulge in the wall
trying to get rid of the bulge around his middle
2
: sudden expansion
a population bulge
3
: advantage, upper hand
letting them get the bulge on you
4
a
: bilge sense 1
the bulge of a barrel
b
nautical
: bilge sense 2
Synonyms
Examples of bulge in a Sentence
Verb
His face turned white and his eyes bulged.
middle-aged people bulging at the waist
Their bags bulged with books and papers.
The squirrel's cheeks were bulging with nuts.
a notebook bulging with ideas
Noun
“What's in there?” he asked, pointing to the large bulge in my purse.
I'm exercising to get rid of this bulge around my middle.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2024
First, a little anatomy lesson to clarify why lymph nodes are so prone to bulging.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 30 Oct. 2024
Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2024
The 2020-2021 sales bulge, along with expectations of the Federal Reserve reducing interest rates.
—John S. Tobey, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bulge 
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Verb
The other domain leads you straight to a website designed to turn you into a cartoon wolf with your eyes bulging out of your head, howling hornily at the moon and ready to spend thousands of dollars on hot vids.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2024
First, a little anatomy lesson to clarify why lymph nodes are so prone to bulging.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 30 Oct. 2024
Noun
The seamless construction eliminates unsightly bulges and visible bra lines, while the underarm smoothing panels ensure a comfortable fit.
—Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2024
The 2020-2021 sales bulge, along with expectations of the Federal Reserve reducing interest rates.
—John S. Tobey, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bulge
Dictionary Entries Near bulge
Cite this Entry
“Bulge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bulge. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bulge
1 of 2 verb
bulged; bulging
1
: to swell, curve outward, or stick out
bulging eyes
2
: to be filled to overflowing
a bulging notebook
bulge
2 of 2 noun
: a part that swells or sticks out
Etymology
Noun
from early French boulge, bouge "leather bag," from Latin bulga "leather bag" — related to budget
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