Bulk — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb adjective /ˈbəlk/

Meaning & Definition of Bulk

Bulk (noun)

  1. magnitude
  2. material that forms a mass in the intestine; especially, fiber
  3. body; especially, a large or corpulent human body

Bulk (verb)

  1. to cause to swell or bulge, stuff
  2. to gather into a mass or aggregate
  3. swell, expand

Bulk (adjective)

  1. being in large quantities or not divided into separate units, being in bulk
  2. of or relating to materials in bulk

Bulk (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the largest part or quantity of something

    "agriculture makes up the bulk of the country's economy"

    similar: generality, lion's share, majority, mass, preponderance
    related: plurality, maximum, most, abundance, heap, loads, lot, much, oodles, plenty, profusion, reams, scads, wealth
    opposite: minority
    near: couple, few, handful, smattering, sprinkling, least, minimum

  2. the main or greater part of something as distinguished from its subordinate parts

    "the cookie lost a few crumbs, but the bulk of it remained"

    similar: body, brunt, chief, core, generality, heft (archaic), main, mass, staple, weight
    related: majority, aggregate, amount, entirety, quantum, sum, sum total, total, totality, whole, bottom, essence, essentiality, marrow, meat, nature, pith, quintessence, root, soul, stuff, substance, center, heart, hub, kernel, middle, nucleus, nut, seat, affair, argument, burden, crux, focus, gist, nub, pitch, point, purport, matter, motif, subject, text, theme, topic
    near: accessory, adjunct, appendage, extension, offshoot, component, constituent, element, ingredient, division, part, piece, section, segment, angle, aspect, facet, feature, quality, side

  3. the total amount of measurable space or surface occupied by something

    "due to its bulk, we were unable to get the enormous bookcase into the back seat of the car"

    similar: dimension, extent, magnitude, measure, measurement, proportion, size
    related: area, capaciousness, commodiousness, roominess, spaciousness, ampleness, amplitude, bigness, bulkiness, enormousness, grandness, greatness, grossness, heftiness, hugeness, immenseness, immensity, largeness, mass, massiveness, monstrousness, stupendousness, tremendousness, vastness, volume, voluminousness

Bulk (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in inflate, blow up

    similar: blow up, distend, inflate, puff (up), accelerate, accumulate, appreciate, balloon, boom, build up, burgeon, climb, enlarge, escalate, expand, gain, increase, mount, multiply, mushroom, proliferate, rise, roll up, snowball, spread, swell, wax, jump, rocket, skyrocket, surge, heighten, intensify, redouble, crescendo, crest, peak
    opposite: contract, decrease, diminish, dwindle, lessen, recede, wane, compress, condense, constrict, shrink

  2. as in bloat

    similar: bloat, drench, flood, glut, swamp, crowd, crush, mat, press, ram, shove, squash, squeeze, brim, charge, cram, fill, heap, jam, jam-pack, load, pack, stuff, refill, refresh, reload, repack, replenish, overcharge, overfill, overflow, saturate, honeycomb, penetrate
    opposite: clear, empty, evacuate, vacate, void, lighten, deplete, drain, eliminate, exhaust, bleed, draw (off), clean, flush, purge, scour, sweep

Related Entry: Bulk (up) (verb)

Bulk (up) is a different word from Bulk. The synonyms below are for bulk (up), not for bulk.

  1. to bring together in one body or place

    "she bulked up her hair with one hand as she reached for the shears with the other"

    similar: accumulate, amass, assemble, collect, concentrate, congregate, constellate, corral, garner, gather, group, lump, pick up, round up, get together
    related: ball, batch, bunch, cluster, huddle, heap, pile, stack, band, brigade, muster, raise, rally, flock, herd, hive, pack, press, swarm, throng, combine, connect, join, link, merge, pool, unite, archive, arrange, collate, compile, organize, systematize, scrape (up or together), re-collect, regather, regroup
    opposite: dispel, disperse, dissipate, scatter
    near: break up, disband, disintegrate, dissolve, separate, sever, split (up), dismiss, send

Related Entry: Fiber (noun)

Fiber is a different word from Bulk. The synonyms below are for fiber, not for bulk.

  1. the strength of mind that enables a person to endure pain or hardship

    "a person of lesser fiber would not have spoken out against such an injustice"

    similar: backbone, constancy, fortitude, grit, grittiness, guts, intestinal fortitude, pluck, spunk
    related: determination, purposefulness, resoluteness, resolution, bravery, courage, courageousness, daring, dauntlessness, doughtiness, fearlessness, gallantry, greatheartedness, intrepidity, intrepidness, nerve, stoutness, valor, endurance, forbearance, stamina, sufferance, tolerance, heart, mettle, spirit, audacity, boldness, brass, cheek, chutzpah, effrontery, gall, hardihood, nerviness, temerity
    opposite: spinelessness
    near: indecisiveness, irresoluteness, irresolution, vacillation, cowardice, cowardliness, cravenness, dastardliness, faintheartedness, pusillanimity, timidity, timorousness

  2. a thin, flexible structure that resembles a hair

    "the fibers found on the victim's body came from a carpet in the suspect's home"

    similar: bristle, filament, hair, thread
    related: microfiber, cord, rope, string, wire, yarn, fuzz, tuft

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Bulk

The most common words with a similar meaning to Bulk:

Archaic: heft
generality, lion's share, majority, mass, preponderance, body, brunt, chief, core, main, staple, weight, dimension, extent, magnitude, measure, measurement, proportion, size, blow up, distend, inflate, puff (up), accelerate, accumulate, appreciate, balloon, boom, build up, burgeon, climb, enlarge, escalate, expand, gain, increase, mount, multiply, mushroom, proliferate

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Bulk

Words with the opposite meaning of Bulk:

minority, contract, decrease, diminish, dwindle, lessen, recede, wane, compress, condense, constrict, shrink, clear, empty, evacuate, vacate, void, lighten, deplete, drain, eliminate, exhaust, bleed, draw (off), clean, flush, purge, scour, sweep

Related Words for Bulk

plurality, maximum, most, abundance, loads, lot, much, oodles, plenty, profusion, reams, scads, wealth, aggregate, amount, entirety, quantum, sum, sum total, total, totality, whole, bottom, essence, essentiality, marrow, meat, nature, pith, quintessence

Near Antonyms of Bulk

couple, few, handful, smattering, sprinkling, least, minimum, accessory, adjunct, appendage, extension, offshoot, component, constituent, element, ingredient, division, part, piece, section, segment, angle, aspect, facet, feature, quality, side

Word Forms of Bulk

Inflections: bulked, bulking, bulks

Origin & Etymology of Bulk

Middle English, heap, bulk, from Old Norse bulki cargo

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Bulk

Words & Phrases Containing Bulk

bulk up, bulk large, bulk out, in bulk, the bulk

Frequently Asked Questions about Bulk

What does "Bulk" mean?

"Bulk" means magnitude. As an a noun, a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: magnitude. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Bulk"?

Other words for "Bulk" include generality, lion's share, majority, mass, preponderance, body, brunt and chief. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Bulk" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Bulk"?

There are 173 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Bulk". Common alternatives include generality, lion's share, majority, mass, preponderance, body, brunt, chief, core and heft.

What is the opposite of "Bulk"?

Antonyms of "Bulk" include minority, contract, decrease, diminish, dwindle, lessen, recede and wane. Near antonyms include couple, few, handful and smattering.

How do you use "Bulk" in a sentence?

Examples of "Bulk" in a sentence: "agriculture makes up the bulk of the country's economy"; "the cookie lost a few crumbs, but the bulk of it remained"; "due to its bulk, we were unable to get the enormous bookcase into the back seat of the car".

Is "Bulk" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Bulk" can be used as a noun, a verb and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Bulk" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Bulk" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Bulk"?

"Bulk" is pronounced /ˈbəlk/.