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Definition of bulk noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

bulk

noun
 
/bʌlk/
 
/bʌlk/
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  1. [singular] the bulk (of something) the main part of something; most of something
    • The bulk of the population lives in cities.
    • The great bulk of the work has now been done.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • great
    • large
    • overwhelming
    bulk + noun
    • buying
    • order
    • purchasing
    preposition
    • in bulk
    phrases
    • the bulk of
    See full entry
  2. [uncountable] the (large) size or quantity of something
    • Despite its bulk and weight, the car is extremely fast.
    • a bulk order (= one for a large number of similar items)
    • bulk buying (= buying in large amounts, often at a reduced price)
    • in bulk It's cheaper to buy in bulk.
    Extra Examples
    • I was amazed by the sheer bulk of the creature.
    • Sugar is imported in bulk from the mainland.
    • bulk mailing rates
    • A charge of £2.50 per copy is made for bulk orders.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • considerable
    • huge
    • massive
    verb + bulk
    • ease
    • heave
    • shift
    See full entry
  3. [singular] the weight or shape of somebody/something large
    • She heaved her bulk out of the chair.
    • the looming dark bulk of the cathedral
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • considerable
    • huge
    • massive
    verb + bulk
    • ease
    • heave
    • shift
    See full entry
  4. Word OriginMiddle English: the senses ‘cargo as a whole’ and ‘heap, large quantity’ (the earliest recorded) are probably from Old Norse búlki ‘cargo’; other senses arose perhaps by alteration of obsolete bouk ‘belly, body’.
See bulk in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee bulk in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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