Standard Lemma guide

hulking

adj · noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈhʌlkɪŋ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AH1 L K IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Large and bulky, heavily built; massive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Unwieldy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A kind of sloping embankment used as a coastal defence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

present participle and gerund of hulk

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

of great size and bulk

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a hulking figure of a man
  • three hulking battleships

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hulky

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English hulk Proto-Indo-European *-onts Proto-Germanic *-ndz Proto-West Germanic *-andī Old English -ende Middle English -ynge English -ing English hulking From hulk + -ing.

Etymology tree English hulk Proto-Germanic *-ungō Old English -ung Middle English -ynge English -ing English hulking From hulk + -ing.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: тромав (tromav) — Large and bulky, heavily built
  • Bulgarian: неповратлив (nepovratliv) — Large and bulky, heavily built