Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense bulks, present participle bulking, past tense, past participle bulked
1. singular noun
You can refer to something's bulk when you want to emphasize that it is very large.
[written, emphasis]
The truck pulled out of the lot, its bulk unnerving against the dawn.
...the shadowy bulk of an ancient barn. [+ of]
Synonyms: size, volume, dimensions, magnitude More Synonyms of bulk
2. singular noun [usually poss NOUN]
You can refer to a large person's body or to their weight or size as their bulk.
Bannol lowered his bulk carefully into the chair.
Despite his bulk, he moved lightly on his feet.
Synonyms: weight, size, mass, heaviness More Synonyms of bulk
3. quantifier
The bulkof something is most of it.
The bulk of the text is essentially a review of these original documents. [+ of]
The vast bulk of imports and exports are carried by sea. [+ of]
Bulk is also a pronoun.
They come from all over the world, though the bulk is from the Indian subcontinent.
4. uncountable noun [inNOUN, NOUN noun]
If you buy or sell something inbulk, you buy or sell it in large quantities.
Buying in bulk is more economical than shopping for small quantities.
...bulk purchasing.
Phrasal verbs:
See bulk up
More Synonyms of bulk
bulk in British English
(bʌlk)
noun
1.
volume, size, or magnitude, esp when great
2.
the main part
the bulk of the work is repetitious
3.
a large body, esp of a person
he eased his bulk out of the chair
4.
the part of food which passes unabsorbed through the digestive system
5.
unpackaged cargo or goods
6.
a ship's cargo or hold
7. printing
a.
the thickness of a number of sheets of paper or cardboard
b.
the thickness of a book excluding its covers
8. (plural)
copies of newspapers sold in bulk at a discounted price to hotels, airlines, etc, which issue them free to their customers
9. in bulk
verb
10.
to cohere or cause to cohere in a mass
11.
to place, hold, or transport (several cargoes of goods) in bulk
12. bulk large
▶ USAGE The use of a plural noun after bulk was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable
Word origin
C15: from Old Norse bulki cargo
bulk in American English1
(bʌlk)
noun
1.
size, mass, or volume, esp. if great
2.
the main mass or body of something; largest part or portion
the bulk of one's fortune
3.
soft, bulky matter of a kind that passes through the intestines without being absorbed and aids in elimination
verb intransitive
4.
to form into a mass
5.
to increase in size, importance, etc.
6.
to have size or importance
to bulk large in the mind
verb transitive
7.
to make (something) form into a mass
8.
to make bulge; stuff
9.
to give greater bulk, or size, to
adjective
10.
total; aggregate
11.
not put up in individual packages
Idioms:
in bulk
SYNONYMY NOTE: bulk1, mass, volume all refer to a quantity of matter or collection of units forming a body or whole,, bulk1 implying a body of great size, weight, or numbers [the lumbering bulk of a hippopotamus, the bulk of humanity], mass, an aggregate, multitude, or expanse forming a cohesive, unified, or solid body [an egg-shaped mass, a mass of color, the mass of workers], and volume, a moving or flowing mass, often of a fluctuating nature [volumes of smoke, the volume of production]
bulk in American English2
(bʌlk)
noun
Archaic
a projecting framework or stall built as the front of a shop
Word origin
ME balk < ON balkr, partition, wall; akin to balk
Examples of 'bulk' in a sentence
bulk
The bulk come from back office efficiencies.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Shopping around could make a lot of difference to your grocery bill, and buy in bulk.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Some discount is applied by the vaccine supply companies, but few surgeries can afford to buy in bulk or store large quantities.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The vast bulk of the 11m cars equipped with defeat devices were sold in Europe.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The most important has been the removal of the great bulk of the hereditary peers.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
They buy in bulk from fleets and manufacturers which allows them to sell at bargain prices.
The Sun (2012)
These two groups still form the bulk of its orchid production.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The last thing you want is ageing limbs struggling under a bulk of weight.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The bulk of the money will be spent on radio broadcasts to be beamed into the country.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
This was where the bulk of the work was to be done.
Adam Nicolson GOD'S SECRETARIES: The Making of the King James Bible (2003)
This art criticism takes up the bulk of the book.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Demand for the largest dry bulk ships has plunged.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
You know what led me to spend the bulk of my early adult life abroad?
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
District judges handle the vast bulk of family and civil cases but they have a low profile.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The great bulk of students are beyond the school leaving age.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
That included tourists buying souvenirs and wholesalers buying in bulk.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Now it forms the bulk of what they eat.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
That bit more weight and bulk should help his robustness.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The bulk of the money for the fund is expected to come from the government.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But he feels that his sheer, natural size and bulk has been key.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It is perfect for bulk selling, and it's free.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Wine that is not good enough to sell on the company's website is sold in bulk, with the losses shared with the winemaker.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
I write in my bed, propped up with pillows, and get the main bulk of my writing done early in the day.
The Sun (2015)
In other languages
bulk
British English: bulk NOUN
You can refer to something's bulk when you want to emphasize that it is very large.
The lorry pulled out, its bulk unnerving against the dawn.
American English: bulk
Brazilian Portuguese: massa
Chinese: 大块
European Spanish: grueso
French: masse
German: massige Form
Italian: massa
Japanese: 巨大さ
Korean: 크기나 부피가 큼을 강조
European Portuguese: massa
Latin American Spanish: grueso
All related terms of 'bulk'
bulk up
If someone or something bulks up or bulks out , they become bigger or heavier .
in bulk
in large quantities
bulk-buy
to buy (goods) in large quantities
bulk mail
a category of mail for mailing large numbers of identical printed items to individual addressees at less than first-class rates, as circulars or bulletins
dry bulk
a category of cargo stowed in bulk , consisting of grain , cotton , coal , etc
bulk buying
the purchase at one time, and often at a reduced price , of a large quantity of a particular commodity
bulk cargo
unpackaged cargoes , such as grain or coal
bulk large
to be or seem important or prominent
bulk carrier
a ship that carries unpackaged cargo , usually consisting of a single dry commodity , such as coal or grain
bulk modulus
a coefficient of elasticity of a substance equal to minus the ratio of the applied stress ( p ) to the resulting fractional change in volume ( d V /V ) in a specified reference state (d V/V is the bulk strain )
bulk settling
Bulk settling is a process in which two liquids, or a solid and a liquid, of different densities are allowed to separate by gravity .
bulk purchasing
the purchasing of goods in large quantities
bulk transport
the transport of large quantities of goods or commodities in lorries , ships, or by rail
dry-bulk cargo ship
a ship that carries an unpackaged dry cargo such as coal or grain ; bulk carrier
bulker
a ship that carries unpackaged cargo , usually consisting of a single dry commodity , such as coal or grain
Chinese translation of 'bulk'
bulk
(bʌlk)
n
(s/u)[of person]肥硕(碩)的身躯(軀) (féishuò de shēnqū)
(s)[of object]庞(龐)然大物 (pángrán dà wù)
to buy/sell in bulk (Comm) 批量购(購)买(買)/销(銷)售 (pīliàng gòumǎi/xiāoshòu)
the bulk of (= most of) 大部分的 (dàbùfen de)
1 (noun)
Definition
volume or size, esp. when great
the shadowy bulk of an ancient barn
Synonyms
size
books of various sizes
volume
When water is frozen it increases in volume.
dimensions
magnitude
the magnitude of the task confronting them
substance
vastness
amplitude
The operatic amplitude of her voice suits the occasion.
immensity
The immensity of the universe is difficult to grasp.
bigness
largeness
massiveness
2 (noun)
Despite his bulk he moved lightly on his feet.
Synonyms
weight
Try to reduce the weight of the load.
size
mass
Pluto and Triton have nearly the same mass and density.
heaviness
the heaviness of earthbound matter
poundage
portliness
3 (noun)
Definition
the main part
The vast bulk of imports and exports is carried by sea.
Synonyms
majority
The majority of our customers come from out of town.
mass
The Second World War involved the mass of the population.
most
body
the preface, followed by the main body of the article
quantity
the sheer quantity of data can cause problems.
best part
major part
lion's share
Nuclear research has received the lion's share of public funding.
better part
generality
When the generality of the electorate is doing badly, the mood is pessimisitic.
preponderance
The preponderance of the evidence strongly supports his guilt.
main part
plurality
The party has retained a plurality of the votes.
nearly all
greater number
idiom
See bulk large
Usage note
The use of a plural noun after bulk, when it has the meaning `majority', although common, is considered by some to be incorrect and should be avoided. This usage is most commonly encountered, according to the Bank of English, when referring to funds and profits: the bulk of our profits stem from the sale of candy. The synonyms majority and most would work better in this context.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of amplitude
Definition
greatness of extent
The operatic amplitude of her voice suits the occasion.
Synonyms
extent,
reach,
range,
size,
mass,
sweep,
dimension,
bulk,
scope,
width,
magnitude,
compass,
greatness,
breadth,
expanse,
vastness,
spaciousness,
bigness,
largeness,
hugeness,
capaciousness
in the sense of body
Definition
the main part of anything
the preface, followed by the main body of the article
Synonyms
main part,
matter,
heart,
material,
mass,
substance,
bulk,
essence,
hub
in the sense of generality
Definition
the majority
When the generality of the electorate is doing badly, the mood is pessimisitic.