Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
will build mutual trust. = develop, increase, improve, extend, strengthen, intensify, enlarge, amplify, augment ◼ OPPOSITE: decrease ▸ NOUN the smallness of his build = physique, form, body, figure, shape, structure, frame ● build something up We can build up speed gradually and safely. = increase, develop, improve, extend, expand, add to, strengthen, enhance, reinforce, intensify, heighten, fortify, amplify, augmentbuilding NOUN = structure, house, construction, dwelling (formal, literary), erection, edifice, domicile, pilebuild-up NOUN 1 a build-up of troops = increase, development, growth, expansion, accumulation, enlargement, escalation, upsurge, intensification, augmentation 2 a build-up of gases in the city's sewers = accumulation, accretion 3 the build-up for the film = hype, promotion, publicity, plug (informal), puff, razzmatazz (slang), brouhaha, ballyhoo (informal)built-in ADJECTIVE = essential, integral, included, incorporated, inherent, implicit, in-built, intrinsic, inseparable, immanentbulbous ADJECTIVE = bulging, rounded, swelling, swollen, bloated, convexbulge VERB 1 He bulges out of his black T-shirt. = swell out, project, expand, swell, stand out, stick out, protrude, puff out, distend, bag 2 Her eyes seemed to bulge like those of a toad. = stick out, stand out, protrude ▸ NOUN 1 Why won't those bulges on your hips and thighs go? = lump, swelling, bump, projection, hump, protuberance, protrusion ◼ OPPOSITE: hollow 2 a bulge in aircraft sales = increase, rise, boost, surge, intensificationbulk NOUN 1 the shadowy bulk of an ancient barn = size, volume, dimensions, magnitude, substance, vastness, amplitude, immensity, bigness, largeness, massiveness 2 Despite his bulk he moved lightly on his feet. = weight, size, mass, heaviness, poundage, portliness 3 The vast bulk of imports and exports is carried by sea. = majority, mass, most, body, quantity, best part, major part, lion's share, better part, generality, preponderance, main part, plurality, nearly all, greater number ● bulk large Propaganda bulks large in their plans. = be important, dominate, loom, stand out, loom large, carry weight, preponderate, threaten
| USAGE The use of a plural noun after bulk, when it has the meaning 'majority', although common, is considered by some to be incorrect and should be avoided. This usage is most commonly encountered, according to the Bank of English, when referring to funds and profits: the bulk of our profits stem from the sale of candy. The synonyms majority and most would work better in this context. |
bulky ADJECTIVE = large, big, huge, heavy, massive, enormous, substantial, immense, mega (slang), very large, mammoth, colossal, cumbersome, weighty, hulking, unwieldy, ponderous, voluminous, unmanageable, elephantine, massy, ginormous (informal), humongous or humungous (informal) ◼ OPPOSITE: smallbulldoze VERB 1 She defeated developers who wanted to bulldoze her home. = demolish, level, destroy, flatten, knock down, tear down, raze, kennet (Austral. slang), jeff (Austral. slang) 2 He bulldozed through the Tigers' defence. = push, force, drive, thrust, shove, propel 3 My business partner tried to bulldoze into leaving the company. = force, bully, intimidate, railroad (informal), cow, hector, coerce, dragoon, browbeat, put the screws onbullet NOUN = projectile, ball, shot, missile, slug, pelletbulletin NOUN = report, account, statement, message, communication, announcement, dispatch, communiqué, notification, news flashbully NOUN I fell victim to the office bully. = persecutor, tough, oppressor, tormentor, bully boy, browbeater, coercer, ruffian, intimidator ▸ VERB 1 I wasn't going to let him bully me. = persecute, intimidate, torment, hound, oppress, pick on, victimize, terrorize, push around (slang), ill-treat, ride roughshod over, maltreat, tyrannize, overbear 2 She used to bully me into doing my schoolwork. = force, coerce, railroad (informal), bulldoze (informal), dragoon, pressurize, browbeat, cow, hector, press-gang, domineer, bullyragbulwark NOUN 1 a bulwark against the English = fortification, defence, bastion, buttress, rampart, redoubt, outwork 2 a bulwark of democracy = defence, support, safeguard, security, guard, buffer, mainstaybumbling ADJECTIVE = clumsy, awkward, blundering, bungling, incompetent, inefficient, lumbering, inept, maladroit, unco (Austral. slang) ◼ OPPOSITE: efficientbump VERB 1 He bumped his head on the low beam. = knock, hit, strike, crash, smash, slam, bang 2 We left the road again and bumped over the mountainside. = jerk, shake, bounce, rattle, jar, jog, lurch, jolt, jostle, jounce ▸ NOUN 1 Small children often cry after a minor bump. = knock, hit, blow, shock, impact, rap, collision, thump 2 I felt a little bump and knew instinctively what had happened. = thud, crash, knock, smash, bang, smack, thump, clump, wallop (informal), clunk, clonk 3 She got a large bump on her forehead. = lump, swelling, bulge, hump, node, nodule, protuberance, contusion (formal) ● bump into someone I happened to bump into Federico in the hallway. = meet, encounter, come across, run into, run across, meet up with, chance upon, happen upon, light upon ● bump someone off They will probably bump you off anyway. = murder, kill, assassinate, remove, do in (slang), eliminate, take out (slang), wipe out (informal), dispatch, finish off, do away with, blow away (slang, chiefly U.S.), knock off (slang), liquidate, rub out (U.S. slang)bumper ADJECTIVE = exceptional, excellent, exo (Austral. slang), massive, unusual, mega (slang), jumbo (informal), abundant, whacking (informal, chiefly Brit.), spanking (informal), whopping (informal), bountifulbumpy ADJECTIVE 1 bumpy cobbled streets = uneven, rough, pitted, irregular, rutted, lumpy, potholed, knobby 2 a hot and bumpy journey across the desert = jolting, jarring, bouncy, choppy, jerky, bone-breaking, joltybunch NOUN 1 (informal) The players were a great bunch. = group, band, crowd, party, team, troop, gathering, crew (informal), gang, knot, mob, flock, swarm, multitude, posse (informal), bevy 2 He had left a huge bunch of flowers in her hotel room. = bouquet, spray, sheaf 3 She had fallen asleep clutching a fat bunch of grapes. = cluster, clump ● bunch together or up People bunched up at all the exits. = group, crowd, mass, collect, assemble, cluster, flock, herd, huddle, congregatebundle NOUN He gathered the bundles of clothing into his arms. = bunch, group, collection, mass, pile, quantity, stack, heap, rick, batch, accumulation, assortment ▸ VERB They bundled him into a taxi. = push, thrust, shove, throw, rush, hurry, hasten, jostle, hustle ● bundle someone up Harry greeted them bundled up in a long coat and a fur hat. = wrap up, swathe, muffle up, clothe warmly ● bundle something up possessions bundled up and carried in weary arms = package, tie, pack, bind, wrap, tie up, bale, fasten, truss, tie together, palletizebungle VERB = mess up, blow (slang), ruin, spoil, blunder, fudge, screw up (informal), botch, cock up (Brit. slang), miscalculate, make a mess of, mismanage, muff, foul up, make a nonsense of (informal), bodge (informal), make a pig's ear of (informal), flub (U.S. slang), crool or cruel (Austral. slang), louse up (slang) ◼ OPPOSITE: accomplishbungling ADJECTIVE = incompetent, blundering, awkward, clumsy, inept, botching, cack-handed (informal), maladroit, ham-handed (informal), unskilful, ham-fisted (informal), unco (Austral. slang)bunk1 or bunkum1 NOUN Henry Ford's opinion was that 'history is bunk'. = nonsense, rubbish, rot, crap (slang), garbage (informal), trash, hot air (informal), tosh (slang, chiefly Brit.), bilge (informal), twaddle, tripe (informal), guff (slang), havers (Scot.), moonshine, malarkey, baloney (informal), hogwash, bizzo (Austral. slang), bull's wool (Austral. & N.Z. slang), hokum (slang, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), piffle (informal), tomfoolery, poppycock (informal), balderdash, bosh (informal), eyewash (informal), kak (S. African vulgar, slang), stuff and nonsense, hooey (slang), tommyrot, horsefeathers (U.S. slang), tarradiddlebunk2 NOUN ● do a bunk The castle gatekeeper had done a bunk, but the caretaker let us in. = run away, flee, bolt, clear out (informal), beat it (slang), abscond, decamp, do a runner (slang), run