I. ˈbəlj, ˈbu̇lj verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: probably alteration of bilge (II)
transitive verb
1. archaic : to stave in (as a ship's bottom)
2. : to cause to bulge
intransitive verb
1. archaic , of a ship : bilge
2.
a. : to jut out : swell
b. of a structure under pressure : to bend outward
the wall buckled and bulged
c. : to become protuberant
his eyes will bulge when he sees what we've brought him
3. : to enter hastily, clumsily, or unexpectedly — usually used with in or into
he bulged into the road ahead of me
4. of a fish : to cause bulges of the overlying water while feeding (as in pursuing insect nymphs and larvae)
5. : to become filled to overflowing — used with with
notebook bulged with ideas
a big new market bulging with sales potential — Printers' Ink
Synonyms:
protuberate , jut , stick out , protrude , project , overhang , beetle : bulge and the now uncommon protuberate may suggest a swelling out, sometimes abnormally, through defect, imperfection, or unwholesome condition
above her boots … the calves bulged … out — Arnold Bennett
cans so imperfectly sealed that their contents ferment and bulge the can noticeably — Emily Holt
houses that bulged with the tumors and warts of the ornamental architecture of the jigsaw period — W.A.White
jut and stick out may indicate the fact of position, situation, or arrangement whereby something extends out from a surface
a window that jutted out and looked up the narrow street — Willa Cather
a tiny platform that jutted out over the side of the carrier — J.A.Michener
a square block of stone that jutted from the floor — Liam O'Flaherty
protrude may suggest an unexpected or unusual thrusting out
the jacket slipped to the ground and from the inner pocket he saw the white tops of three envelopes protruding — Victor Canning
Bill March was carried out, a naked white foot protruding from beneath the white sheet — Robert Tallant
project may apply to a throwing or pressing forward or outward or to something comparable to the results of such an action
the young man projected from the side of the car like the figurehead of a ship — Ernest Hemingway
a long spit of land covered with pine trees projecting out from the shore — Frank Gibney
Sullivan was always obliged to think far ahead of its progress. He must project himself hours ahead, a thousand miles beyond the horizon — E.K.Gann
overhang and beetle imply a jutting out over a support, the latter sometimes suggesting ominousness or precariousness
the booths where goods were exposed to sale projected far into the streets and were overhung by the upper stories — T.B.Macaulay
the limestone bluff rolls closer to the water's edge, overhanging the road with cedar — American Guide Series: Michigan
a small dark courtyard above which beetled the walls of the castle — John Buchan
he half arose from his chair and beetled over her. His face was full of the surreptitious joy of having trapped her — Augusta Walker
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably alteration of bilge (I)
1. : bilge 1, 2
2.
[probably from bulge (I) ]
: a swelling or protuberant part: as
a. : an outward bend produced by pressure
a bulge in the wall
b. : a landmass projecting beyond the general contour of the body of which it is a part
the bulge of Brazil
c. : a part of a military front that is advanced beyond the general line of the front : salient
d. : the rounded fill of a well-packed container of fresh produce
3. : advantage , upper hand — often used in the phrase get the bulge on
4. : an upward trend or movement especially when relatively abrupt, limited in extent, and transitory in nature
the usual seasonal bulge in inventories
as
a. : a rippling of the surface of water ; especially : one caused by the movement of feeding fish below the surface
b. : a rise in prices
c. : an increase in numbers
using schools in the summer could help provide essential space for the growing bulge in the youth population — W.H.Gaumnitz
especially : one associated with a particular social phenomenon