I. bulk 1 AC /bʌlk/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ bulk ; adjective : ↑ bulky ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old Norse ; Origin: bulki 'goods carried on a ship' ]
1 . the bulk (of something) the main or largest part of something:
The bulk of consumers are based in towns.
2 . [countable usually singular] a big mass or shape of something:
the great bulk of a building
3 . [uncountable] the size of something or someone:
The dough will rise until it is double in bulk.
4 . in bulk if you buy goods in bulk, you buy large amounts each time you buy them
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THESAURUS
▪ size noun [uncountable and countable] how big someone or something is:
What size is that shirt?
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The price will depend on the size and quality of the carpet.
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Your desk is exactly the same size as mine.
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Fire has destroyed an area of forest the size of Luxembourg.
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The seeds are very small, about half the size of a grain of salt.
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There were several pieces of wood of different sizes.
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Cover the dough and allow it to rise until it has doubled in size.
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The black spots on her skin seemed to be slowly increasing in size.
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The American states vary enormously in size, from very large to very small.
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In a class this size, there will always be a few problems.
▪ dimensions noun [plural] the length, width, and height of an object, room, building etc:
What are the dimensions of the table?
▪ measurements noun [plural] the length, width, or height of something, or of someone’s body:
I need to check the measurements of the window.
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your waist measurement is 31 inches
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The nurse took my measurements.
▪ proportions noun [plural] the relative sizes of the different parts of an object, room, building etc:
The proportions don’t look right to me.
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You can sit in the Plaza and admire the proportions of the cathedral.
▪ area noun [uncountable and countable] the amount of space that a flat surface such as a floor or field covers:
To measure the area of a room, you need to multiply the length by the width.
▪ extent noun [uncountable] the size of a large area:
The extent of the ranch is enormous.
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The island measured about 1,600 kilometres in extent.
▪ bulk noun [uncountable] the very large size of something:
The statue’s massive bulk made it difficult to move.
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his enormous bulk
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The view was dominated by the huge bulk of the power station.
▪ capacity noun [singular] the amount that a container will hold:
The capacity of the tank is around 500 gallons.
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The computer’s memory has a capacity of over 200 megabytes.
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All the storage units were filled to capacity.
▪ volume noun [singular] the amount of space that a substance fills, or that an object contains:
The average domestic swimming pool has a volume of 45,000 litres.
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This instrument measures the volume of air in your lungs.
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Help me figure out the volume of this fish tank.
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The shifting of continents has an impact on the volume of water the oceans can contain.
II. bulk 2 BrE AmE adjective
1 . bulk buying/orders etc the buying etc of goods in large quantities at one time
2 . [only before noun] bulk goods are sold or moved in large quantities:
bulk flour for commercial bakeries
3 . bulk mail if you send something bulk mail, you send large amounts of it for a smaller cost than normal
III. bulk 3 BrE AmE verb
bulk large to be the main or most important part of something
bulk something ↔ out phrasal verb
to make something bigger or thicker by adding something else:
We can bulk out the report with lots of diagrams.
bulk up phrasal verb
to increase the amount of muscle you have