bulk
gb/bˈʌlk/ us/bˈʌlk/
B1
English
~ 4000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
quantity
1
main mass or largest part
The largest part or most of something.
Usage pattern:
the bulk of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'bulk' with 'bark' in pronunciation or use it incorrectly to mean 'all' instead of 'most'.
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.)
Collocations
the bulk of
|in bulk
|bulk order
|bulk shipment
Themes
measurement
|quantity
|business
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The bulk of the work was done by volunteers.
- She spent the bulk of her money on rent.
- 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.
- He ate the bulk of the cake.
- The bulk of the people here are students.
Noun
B2
quantity
2
large size or mass
A big size or heavy weight of something.
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.)
Collocations
huge bulk
|massive bulk
|sheer bulk
Themes
measurement
|physical attributes
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The box’s bulk made it hard to carry.
- Despite his bulk, he moved gracefully.
- The ship’s bulk was visible from afar.
Learner examples
- The bulk of the table makes it heavy.
- His bulk made him strong.
- The bulk of the bag is too much for me.
Verb
B2
action
3
increase size or thickness
To make bigger by adding more material.
Usage pattern:
bulk [something] up
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.)
Collocations
bulk up
|bulk out
Themes
fitness
|manufacturing
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- They used cardboard to bulk out the package.
- He’s trying to bulk up before the competition.
- The company wants to bulk up its product range.
Learner examples
- I eat more to bulk up my body.
- We bulked out the box with paper.
- He tries to bulk up for sports.
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.