hulk
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A large structure with a dominating presence.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
huhlkIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhʌlk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
figuratively
A large structure with a dominating presence.
A very large person; impressive in size or qualities
figuratively
A big (and possibly clumsy) person.
nauticalby extension
A non-functional but floating ship, usually stripped of equipment and rigging, and often put to other uses such as accommodation or storage.
A person resembling, especially physically, the Hulk in the Marvel Comics Universe.
A fictional Marvel Comics character who gains superhuman strength when he becomes angry.
verb
intransitive
Of a (large) person: to act or move slowly and clumsily.
transitive
To move (a large, hulking body).
intransitive
To be a hulk, that is, a large, hulking, and often imposing presence.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A large structure with a dominating presence.
Used this way, hulk is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use hulk
- “He's a big guy, a real hulk, but he's actually very gentle.”noun
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: large structure with a dominating presence
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.