pulp
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a soft, wet, and shapeless mass of material.
n.a soft, moist, and shapeless mass of matter, often produced by crushing or grinding a solid substance.
Simple“The rain had turned the old newspapers on the ground into a grey pulp.”
In context“The industrial machine grinds the timber into a fine pulp before it is processed into various grades of commercial paper.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the soft, fleshy part of a fruit or vegetable.
n.the soft, succulent part of a fruit or vegetable, often containing the seeds.
Simple“I prefer orange juice with the pulp because it feels more natural.”
In context“After simmering the tomatoes, pass them through a sieve to separate the smooth pulp from the tough skins and seeds.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.cheap magazines or books that tell exciting, often violent stories.
n.popular, sensationalist fiction or magazines, historically printed on low-quality, rough-textured paper.
Simple“He spent his weekends reading old detective pulp from the 1940s.”
In context“The director drew heavy inspiration from mid-century pulp, incorporating its lurid colour palettes and dramatic dialogue into his latest film.”
Teacher's tipWhile 'pulp' refers to the paper quality, it is now almost exclusively used to describe the genre of the stories themselves.
Synonymssensationalismtrashy fictionAntonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
v.to crush something until it becomes a soft, wet mass.
v.to reduce a solid substance to a soft, shapeless mass through crushing or chemical processing.
Simple“The recycling centre pulps thousands of books every day.”
In context“The unsold copies of the novel were eventually pulped to make room in the warehouse for newer releases.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
v.to hit someone very hard many times.
v.to beat someone severely; usually used in the phrase 'beat to a pulp'.
Simple“The bully threatened to beat him to a pulp if he told the teacher.”
In context“The protagonist was beaten to a pulp by the antagonist's henchmen before making his dramatic escape in the final act.”
UsageAlmost always appears as part of the idiom 'beat to a pulp'.
- 06 C1 Advanced
adj.relating to cheap, exciting stories or magazines.
adj.characteristic of or relating to pulp magazines and their sensationalist style.
Simple“The movie has a pulp feel with its over-the-top villains and fast action.”
In context“The author adopted a pulp style for his latest thriller, using short sentences and high-stakes cliffhangers to keep the reader engaged.”
Synonyms
From Middle English pulpe, from Latin pulpa.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.