MEANING
1. The lowest inside part of a ship’s hull, where water and other liquids tend to collect.
2. Dirty water or other liquid that has collected in the lowest part of a ship’s hull.
3. Remarks or ideas dismissed as worthless, foolish, or dishonest.
Use it for
locating water collecting inside a boat; describing the lowest hull compartment; explaining the position of a bilge pumpDistinguishes the hull’s lowest interior, water collecting there, and the established disparaging meaning. Writing functions: Ship interior / Accumulated water / Nonsense.
Words that belong together
- the bilge of a boat
- a bilge pump
- inspect the bilges
On the page
A loose tool rattled in the bilge beneath the floorboards.
The crew inspected the bilges before departure.
The pump sent a stream of oily bilge into the collection tank.
The bilge smelled of diesel and old seawater.
He dismissed the grand promises as utter bilge.
Word forms
- Base
- bilge
- Past tense
- bilged
- Past participle
- bilged
- Present participle
- bilging
Usage notes
Countable space noun: bilge, bilges. Water and nonsense meanings normally mass nouns. Verb: bilge, bilges, bilged, bilging; will bilge. Register: neutral. Commonness: moderately common in nautical contexts; insult sense dated (dictionary-informed qualitative editorial estimate; not a measured frequency).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.