bulk
gb/bˈʌlk/ us/bˈʌlk/
B1
English
~ 4000
zöm, nagy rész, nagy méret, nagy termet, nagy tömeg, kitöm, dúsít, tömeget növel
NOUN
B1
1
Usage pattern:
the bulk of [something]
The bulk of the work was done by volunteers.
A munka zömét önkéntesek végezték el.
She spent the bulk of her money on rent.
Pénzének nagy részét lakbérre költötte.
The bulk of the population lives in cities.
This container holds the bulk of our supplies.
Learner examples
The bulk of my books are in my room.
A könyveim nagy része a szobámban van.
He ate the bulk of the cake.
Megette a torta nagy részét.
The bulk of the people here are students.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'bulk' with 'bark' in pronunciation or use it incorrectly to mean 'all' instead of 'most'.
Meaning
main mass or largest part
Collocations
the bulk of
|in bulk
|bulk order
|bulk shipment
Synonyms
majority (Refers to more than half, often in numbers rather than physical size.)
|
mass (Emphasizes physical size or weight more than proportion.)
Antonyms
minority (Refers to the smaller part or less than half of something.)
Themes
measurement
|quantity
|business
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The largest part or most of something.
The main mass, size, or largest portion of something.
NOUN
B2
2
The box’s bulk made it hard to carry.
Nagy mérete miatt nehéz volt cipelni a dobozt.
Despite his bulk, he moved gracefully.
Nagy termete ellenére kecsesen mozgott.
The ship’s bulk was visible from afar.
Learner examples
The bulk of the table makes it heavy.
Az asztal nagy mérete és tömege miatt nehéz.
His bulk made him strong.
Nagy termete miatt erős volt.
The bulk of the bag is too much for me.
Meaning
large size or mass
Collocations
huge bulk
|massive bulk
|sheer bulk
Synonyms
volume (Focuses on space occupied rather than weight.)
|
heft (Informal and emphasizes weight more than size.)
Antonyms
slimness (Refers to being thin or not bulky.)
Themes
measurement
|physical attributes
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A big size or heavy weight of something.
A large size, mass, or volume, especially in a physical object.
VERB
B2
3
Usage pattern:
bulk [something] up
They used cardboard to bulk out the package.
Kartonnal tömték ki a csomagot.
He’s trying to bulk up before the competition.
A verseny előtt próbál tömeget növelni.
The company wants to bulk up its product range.
Learner examples
I eat more to bulk up my body.
Többet eszem, hogy tömeget növeljek.
We bulked out the box with paper.
Papírral tömtük ki a dobozt.
He tries to bulk up for sports.
Meaning
increase size or thickness
Collocations
bulk up
|bulk out
Synonyms
enlarge (General term for making something bigger, not always by adding material.)
|
pad (Often means adding soft material to make thicker.)
Antonyms
slim down (To reduce in size or thickness.)
Themes
fitness
|manufacturing
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make bigger by adding more material.
To make something larger or thicker by adding material.
Grammar
Dictionary form
bulk
IPA
GB/bˈʌlk/
US/bˈʌlk/
Syllables & stress
bulk (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (bulk)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: bulk
- Plural: bulk, bulks
Verb
- Base: bulk
- 3rd Person Singular: bulks
- Present Participle: bulking
- Past: bulked
Word family
Forms
bulks
noun
bulking
verb
bulked
verb
Core family
bulky
adjective B2
Advanced or less common
bulkiness
noun
Expressions
bulk up
1/bˈʌlk ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
gain size or strength
To make your body bigger and stronger by adding muscle, or to make something larger by adding material.
Examples
- He’s been hitting the gym to bulk up.
- They bulked up the package with extra padding.
in bulk
1/ˈɪn bˈʌlk/
fixed phrase
in large quantities at once
To buy, sell, or store a lot of something together, not in separate packages.
Examples
- We buy rice in bulk to save money.
- The store sells nuts in bulk.
the bulk of
1/ðə bˈʌlk əv/
fixed phrase
the majority part of something
Most of something.
Examples
- The bulk of the class passed the exam.
- She spends the bulk of her time reading.