noun

hulk

huhlk

noun

A large, bulky ship, especially an old one that is no longer seaworthy.

"The rusting hulk sat abandoned in the harbor for decades."

"Old naval hulks were sometimes used as floating prisons."

A large, heavily built person or thing with an imposing presence.

"A hulk of a man blocked the doorway."

"The abandoned factory was a rusting hulk on the edge of town."

verb

To loom or move in a large, clumsy way.

"He hulked over the crowd, a head taller than everyone else."

"The bodyguard hulked behind his client at every event."

How to Use Hulk

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA big, bulky object or person — or an old, wrecked ship. Also used as a verb for looming large.

Common mistake

In casual speech, 'the Hulk' (capitalized) usually refers to the Marvel superhero, not the general word.

hulked past tense, hulked past tense, hulks plural, Hulks plural, hulks singular, hulks singular

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The rusting _____ sat abandoned in the harbor for decades.

From Old English hulc, referring to a clumsy or heavy ship, itself possibly borrowed from Greek by way of Latin.

bulk sulk