From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbulgebulge1 /bʌldʒ/ noun [countable] 1 STICK OUTa curved mass on the surface of something, usually caused by something under or inside it The gun made a bulge under his jacket.2 INCREASE IN ACTIVITY, FEELINGS ETCINCREASE IN NUMBER OR AMOUNTa sudden temporary increase in the amount or level of something a bulge in the birthrate —bulgy adjective
Examples from the Corpus
bulge• This continues until there is a well-developed inward bulge which goes about half-way across the interior.• By adjusting the statistics, natural bulges are evened out, allowing for short-term shifts to be inferred more accurately.• The store detective had noticed an odd bulge under the suspect's clothes.• Her tailored suit fitted neatly, hiding the slight bulges of middle-age.• In most cases the bulge settles down, as long as you have sufficient horizontal rest and take good care of your back.• The next thing was that he wanted her to hold the bulge.• Weight remains a sensitive issue for Engler, who is constantly fighting a sometimes serious battle of the bulge.• At five months pregnant, the bulge was beginning to show.• As she left the dining-room her hand went to the bulge in her pocket.• The bulge in its midriff testified to that.• The bulge, by contrast, contains little dust.bulgebulge2 (also bulge out) verb [intransitive] STICK OUTto stick out in a rounded shape, especially because something is very full or too tightbulge with His pockets were bulging with candy. He fell heavily to the floor, his eyes bulging wide with fear.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
bulge• In addition the eyes are more severely affected and become filmed over and inflamed; they finally bulge and burst.• His cheeks bulged, and his face turned purple with rage.• Pregnancy demolishes any attempts at personal elegance, as we bulge and waddle along.• She then found that one of the walls bulged, and wanted to get compensation from the surveyor.• Here and there the stuffing bulged, but for the most part it was in reasonable shape.• The backs of his thighs were bulging, his hamstrings taut as guy wires.• All day the eye of the sky bulges, lidless and forgiving until darkness comes to roost undisturbed in its lashes.• Father's face was flushed, and his eyes bulged out.• Her purse bulged with keys, cigarettes, scraps of paper, and old receipts.eyes bulging• Her skin was drawn tight over her sunken face-her cheeks sucked deep into her mouth, her eyes bulging.• He hadn't seen the body of the figure, only its face grinning at him, the eyes bulging like sap.• He fell heavily on to the road, his eyes bulging wide with fear as he felt his life-blood draining away.BulgeBulge → Battle of the Bulge, theOrigin bulge1 (1700-1800) bouge, bulge “bag, swelling, hump” ((13-19 centuries)), from Old French bouge; → BUDGET1 