bulk

bulk — noun

1. If goods are bought or sold in bulk, many units are handled in one lot.

1.nounC1
Definition

If goods are bought or sold in bulk, many units are handled in one lot.

Example

The cafe buys coffee beans in bulk from a farm in Chiayi.

fixed phrase: in bulk

Hospitals order gloves in bulk before the winter flu season.

Common collocations
  • buy in bulk
  • sell in bulk
  • order in bulk
  • store in bulk
Synonyms
  • wholesale

    common in business and selling, especially to shops rather than single buyers

  • in quantity

    more formal and less common in everyday speech

  • in large lots

    a plain explanatory phrase rather than a set business term

Antonyms
  • retail

    means sold or bought one item at a time for ordinary customers

Grammar Patterns

in bulk

Usage Note

Nearly always appears in the fixed phrase 'in bulk' after verbs such as buy, sell, order, ship, print, or store. It is mainly used for goods and supplies, not for people.

Common Mistakes

We bought chairs by bulk.
We bought chairs in bulk.
this sense uses the fixed phrase 'in bulk'.

2. the biggest part of something, especially when little is left outside it.

2.nounC1
Definition

the biggest part of something, especially when little is left outside it.

Example

The bulk of our budget goes to rent and bus fares.

the bulk of + uncountable noun

By noon, the bulk of the guests had already arrived.

the bulk of + plural noun

Common collocations
  • the bulk of the work
  • the bulk of the book
  • the bulk of the money
  • the bulk of the guests
Synonyms
  • most

    the everyday choice and less formal than 'bulk'

  • majority

    often used with numbers, votes, or groups divided into two sides

  • main part

    a plain explanatory phrase with little formal tone

  • lion's share

    informal and suggests one part is much larger than the rest

Antonyms
  • minority

    used when the smaller part is being emphasized

  • remainder

    focuses on what is left after the main part

Grammar Patterns

the bulk of + noun

Usage Note

Almost always used as 'the bulk of + noun'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense means 'most of', not 'in large lots'.

Common Mistakes

The bulk from the work is already finished.
The bulk of the work is already finished.
this sense needs 'of' after 'bulk'.

3. a person or thing whose great size and heavy shape are very noticeable.

3.noun
Definition

a person or thing whose great size and heavy shape are very noticeable.

Example

The horse's dark bulk filled the stable doorway at dawn.

bulk for the visible shape of something large

From the beach, we watched the ship's bulk move through the fog.

Common collocations
  • the ship's bulk
  • the dark bulk
  • her bulk
  • the truck's bulk
Synonyms
  • mass

    more neutral and often used for material or matter rather than a visible body

  • hulk

    suggests a very large, heavy thing, often awkward or ugly

  • body

    a broader word for physical form, especially of a person or animal

Grammar Patterns

the bulk of + large person or thing

Usage Note

Often used for something large seen as a single shape in space, such as a ship, animal, or person. Distinguish from sense 4: this sense names the large object or body itself, while sense 4 names its size.

Common Mistakes

The mountain was very bulk in the dark.
The mountain's bulk stood out in the dark.
'bulk' is a noun here, not an adjective.

4. the fact of being large, heavy, or hard to move because of size.

4.noun
Definition

the fact of being large, heavy, or hard to move because of size.

Example

The winter coat adds too much bulk under my school jacket.

collocation: add bulk

Because of its bulk, the drum would not fit in the taxi.

because of + bulk

Common collocations
  • add bulk
  • extra bulk
  • surprising bulk
  • because of its bulk
Synonyms
  • size

    the broad everyday word; bulk adds an idea of heaviness or awkward space

  • mass

    often sounds more scientific and focuses on physical matter

  • volume

    focuses on how much space something takes up, especially in measurement

  • heft

    stresses felt weight more than outward size

Antonyms
  • compactness

    focuses on being small and taking up little space

Grammar Patterns

because of + bulk

add + bulk

Usage Note

Often follows words like 'extra', 'surprising', or 'because of'. Unlike sense 3, it refers to the amount of size or weight, not to the large thing itself.

Common Mistakes

The sofa is too bulk to move.
The sofa has too much bulk to move easily.
use 'bulk' as a noun, or use the adjective 'bulky'.

Word family

  • bulky
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

For noun/2, bulk is more formal than most and less statistical than majority. You use bulk when you want to present the main part of something as one large portion: the bulk of the money, the bulk of the book, the bulk of the work. Most is the normal everyday choice and fits almost any context. Majority is common with votes, numbers, and groups split into sides. Main part is a plain explanatory phrase with little special tone. Lion's share is informal and suggests one part is far bigger than the rest, sometimes unfairly so. Compare: 'Most students left early,' but 'The bulk of the report explains the new policy.'

most ↗majority ↗main partlion's share

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

English took bulk from Old Norse bulki, a word connected with cargo or a piled load. In Middle English it was used for a load or large mass, and later widened to ideas of large shape, physical size, and the main part of something. Across its modern senses, the core idea is of something gathered into a large amount or body.