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Glite Dictionary
🟡 A swelling 🟡 To stick out
to bulge

to bulge

21 2.9
To swell so that part of something sticks out
  • verb
  • /bʌldʒ/
: abultarse
  • The old tire began to bulge dangerously, indicating that it needed to be replaced.

Your muscles just don't bulge up like that.

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Examples

  • The old woman's eyes bulged with terror, and two legs dropped down the chimney as well.

  • His eyes start to bulge out any time anyone so much as mentions the word.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • And seven years later it starts to bulge even more.

  • Your eyes just bulge out.

    Celebrity Crush (2019)

  • When his eyes start to bulge out, I let him go.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • I made my eyes bulge wide and said, "My God, what happened here?"

    Fiction book (1996)

  • My eyes, they're starting to bulge.

    Vacation (2015)

  • His eye narrowed, and the patch seemed to bulge with that dead eye trying to see right through it.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The machine tilts slightly as the ground bulges up beneath it.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Diric paused beside a piece of corridor that seemed to bulge outward just a bit.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

to swell
vsto bulge
128 3.2

To become larger often by pressure or by soaking in water

focuses on a single rounded sticking out rather than general increase
to pop out
vsto bulge
94 3.1

To come out quickly from a surface or container

describes a rounded protrusion that need not happen suddenly
to puff
vsto bulge
32 4.1

To swell or make part of the body larger

focuses on a single rounded protrusion rather than general enlargement
to swell up
vsto bulge
23 3.9

Become larger and rounder because of liquid, injury, or illness

describes a local rounded protrusion without implying cause
to balloon
vsto bulge
20 4.7

To increase quickly in size or amount

describes a rounded protrusion without the sense of fast inflation
to protrude
vsto bulge
19 5.8

To stick out from a surface or edge

emphasizes rounded swelling rather than any extension beyond limits
to puff out
vsto bulge
10 3.5

To make something larger by filling with air or pride

is specifically about a rounded outward shape rather than expansion cause
to puff up
vsto bulge
10 4.4

To make something larger or more full, for example by filling it with air

refers to a local rounded protrusion without implying inflation
to bloat
vsto bulge
8 4.9

To become swollen because of gas or fluid

is about rounded sticking out without implying the specific cause
to bulge out
vsto bulge
4 3.7

To stick out in a round shape, like a pocket or balloon

is the same idea but expressed as a shorter single word
to distend
vsto bulge
3 8.2

To swell because of pressure inside, for example a stomach or a balloon

describes an outward rounded form without implying internal pressure
to bulk
vsto bulge
1 5.4

To stick out or swell in a visible way

focuses specifically on a rounded, local outward protuberance
to blimp out
vsto bulge
  • Informal
1 9.2

To become much larger, often by filling with air

is about a rounded sticking out without implying sudden size increase
to pouch
vsto bulge
1 6.7

To form a rounded bulge or to hold something in a small bag on the body, often for animals

is a general rounded protrusion without implying a small pocket
to belly out
vsto bulge
1 7.0

To stick out in a round shape, like a jacket or sail in the wind

is the neutral verb for any rounded sticking out, not just belly
bellying
vsto bulge
1 7.6

It curves outward in the middle to form a rounded bulge

is a general word for rounded protrusion, not only belly shape
to protuberate
vsto bulge
9.9

To stick out from a surface like a bump

is the common, everyday term for that rounded protrusion

Antonyms

to recede
67 4.8

To move back or become less strong

Phrasal Verbs

to bulge out
4 3.7

To stick out in a round shape, like a pocket or balloon

Compounds

Battle of the Bulge
7 6.3

A major World War II battle in winter 1944–45 in the Ardennes where Germany surprised Allied forces

battle of the bulge
  • Informal
2 5.3

An informal struggle to lose weight or stop gaining weight

Battle of the Ardennes Bulge
9.0

A major World War II battle in December 1944 when German troops launched a surprise attack in the Ardennes

How Much

to swell
128 3.2
to bulge
21 2.9
to protrude
19 5.8
to jut
23 4.8
to stick out
113 3.2

Surface Forms

bulge infinitive
bulged past
bulged past participle
bulging present participle
bulges third person singular

Etymology

Bulge comes from the same old word bulga for 'bag', so to bulge is to swell or stick out like a bag being filled and pushing outward.