bulk
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the largest part of something.
n.the greater part or majority of a whole.
Simple“The bulk of the work was finished by noon, so we took a long break.”
In context“The bulk of the research funding was allocated to renewable energy projects, leaving little for traditional fossil fuel studies.”
UsageUsually follows the pattern 'the bulk of [something]'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.extra body weight, especially from building muscle.
n.increased body mass, specifically muscle tissue developed through strength training and diet.
Simple“He started eating more protein to add some bulk to his frame.”
In context“The athlete focused on adding functional bulk during the off-season to improve his performance in contact situations.”
Synonymsmuscleheaviness - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.bought or sold in large amounts, often at a lower price.
adj.relating to goods bought, sold, or transported in large quantities and not in separate packages.
Simple“It is usually cheaper to buy rice in bulk bags rather than small boxes.”
In context“The company specialises in bulk shipments of raw minerals to industrial manufacturing plants across the continent.”
UsageCommonly used in the phrase 'in bulk'.
Antonyms
“But one recent single bulk order from a Canadian company equalled what he would expect to move in seven days.”
“Gimon explained that the bulk of new projects are small and mid-size utility-scale solar.”
From Middle English bulk, bolke (“a heap, cargo, hold; heap; bulge”), borrowed from Old Norse búlki (“the freight or the cargo of a ship”), from Proto-Germanic bulkô (“beam, pile, heap”), from Proto-Indo-European bʰelǵ- (“beam, pile, prop”). Compare Icelandic búlkast (“to be bulky”), Swedish dialectal bulk (“a bunch”), Danish bulk (“bump, knob”). Conflated with Middle English bouk (“belly, trunk”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.