hulk of a man
1
5.2
- noun
:
gigante
- The football team hired a hulk of a man to boost their defense.
- a great hulk of a man
Examples
-
Doug is a hulk of a man with a big belly and a sweet laugh.
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Everyone stared as the hulk of a man entered the tiny café, ducking under the low doorway.
-
Despite his reputation as a hulk of a man, he was gentle with the children.
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He is a real hulk of a man!
-
Look at that hulk of a man over there.
-
I danced with Patrick, a hulk of a man who tried to teach me the dance.
-
It was Helen's cousin Shep, a bearded hulk of a man a few years older than Abe.
Synonyms
146
4.7
A very large heavy person, animal, or thing
73
1.0
A very large and strong person or thing
31
7.8
A very large and powerful thing, person, or group
29
3.5
A person who has great power or influence in a field
7
7.2
A large strong man who looks tough and ready to fight
2
7.4
A very large and powerful person or company that beats others easily
2
5.6
A man who shows great physical strength by doing acts like bending steel
1
5.2
A man with a very strong body who can keep working or moving for a long time
A very large or powerful thing that causes great damage like the movie monster
Antonyms
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a man who is very large and physically strong' is directly derivable from the constituents: 'hulk' (a very large or heavy person) combined with 'man'. This composition follows a common descriptive pattern (e.g. 'a giant of a man') and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Hulk of a man uses hulk to mean a large, heavy shape and man to mean a person, so think of a huge body filling a doorway and moving slowly. That's why it means 'a very large and strong man'.