hulk

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a heavy clumsy ship
b(1)
: the body of an old ship unfit for service
(2)
: a ship used as a prison
usually used in plural
every prisoner sent to the hulksKenneth Roberts
c
: an abandoned wreck or shell (as of a building or automobile)
2
: one that is bulky or unwieldy

hulk

2 of 2

verb

hulked; hulking; hulks

intransitive verb

1
dialectal, England : to move ponderously
2
: to appear impressively large or massive : loom
factories hulked along the river

Examples of hulk in a Sentence

Noun The ship's rusting hulk is still visible on the rocks. the burned out hulk of the factory
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The hulk of metal moved silently through space, high above the blue Earth. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Feb. 2025 Having boy hulk Matthew Knies at the net front, to retrieve pucks and be a pain for the defence, is one positive step that’s been working. James Mirtle, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
Verb
Especially after the President of the United States hulked out and destroyed some beautiful cherry blossoms at the end of Brave New World. Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025 Inside, a row of hulking Normande cows is lined up head to tail at the milking machine. Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for hulk 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English hulke, from Old English hulc, probably from Medieval Latin holcas, from Greek holkas, from helkein to pull — more at sulcus

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hulk was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near hulk

Cite this Entry

“Hulk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hulk. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

hulk

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a heavy clumsy ship
b
: the body of an old ship unfit for service or of an abandoned wreck
2
: a bulky or clumsy person or thing

hulk

2 of 2 verb
: to appear impressively large
factories hulking along the river
hulking
ˈhəl-kiŋ
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on hulk

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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