bulb
noun
\ ˈbəlb
\
\
plural bulbs
Definition of bulb
1a
: a resting stage of a plant (such as the lily, onion, hyacinth, or tulip) that is usually formed underground and consists of a short stem base bearing one or more buds enclosed in overlapping membranous or fleshy leaves
b
: a fleshy structure (such as a tuber or corm) resembling a bulb in appearance
c
: a plant having or developing from a bulb
2
: a bulb-shaped part
specifically
: a glass envelope enclosing the light source of an electric lamp or such an envelope together with the light source it encloses
3
: a rounded or swollen anatomical structure
4
: a camera setting that indicates that the shutter can be opened by pressing on the release and closed by ending the pressure
Illustration of bulb
bulb 1a: 1 hyacinth, 2 onion, 3 tulip, 4 lily
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Other Words from bulb
bulbed
\ ˈbəlbd
\
adjective
\
adjective
flasks with bulbed necks
bulblike
\ ˈbəlb-ˌlīk
\
or bulb-like
adjective
\
or bulb-like
adjective
… a large underground rhizome, a bulblike growth that extends massive roots from its underside.
— Elizabeth Schneider
Examples of bulb in a Sentence
the bulb of the thermometer
Recent Examples on the Web
For flowers in spring, plant some of the more shade-tolerant spring-flowering bulbs, such as early daffodils, Siberian squill, snowdrops and grape hyacinths, among your ground cover plants. — Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, "Ditch the grass — here are some better ground covering options for those shady spots under trees," 28 Aug. 2019 Behind the stage, across a country road, a field stretched out, the fence around it laced with a string of red Christmas-tree bulbs — our own, private constellation. — Philip P. Ardery Jr., National Review, "Upon a Time in Woodstock," 10 Aug. 2019 The energy-efficient lightbulbs are designed to imitate the iconic look of the incandescent bulbs developed by Thomas Edison almost a century and a half ago. — Los Angeles Times, "UC Santa Barbara sues Walmart, Amazon and others over LED lightbulbs," 30 July 2019 The University of California Santa Barbara says the retailers should be paying it royalties from sales of the bulbs. — Susan Decker, Fortune, "University Wants a Cut of ‘Edison’ Bulb Sales from Walmart, Target, and Amazon," 30 July 2019 Braids of garlic bulbs hung from almost every one of the 70 food and information booths at the festival. — Maura Judkis, Washington Post, "What is the Gilroy Garlic Festival? The massive food event has raised millions for charity.," 29 July 2019 This year, Grande-Synthe expects to save nearly half a million euros, or about $560,000, on street lighting thanks to the installation of low-energy consumption LED bulbs. — New York Times, "A French Town’s Green Policies Aim to Win Over the Working Class," 25 July 2019 The international governing body now requires water breaks during games when the wet-bulb globe temperature, which takes into account time of day, temperature and humidity, reaches 89.6 F (32 degrees Celsius). — Scientific American, "As the World Heats Up, Soccer Must Adapt," 2 July 2019 These two terms refer to the input and output of bulbs. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "A Foolproof Guide to the Different Types of Light Bulbs," 8 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bulb.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for bulb
bulb
noun
English Language Learners Definition of bulb
: a rounded part of some plants that is under the ground and that grows into a new plant during the growing season
: a part that has a rounded shape
See the full definition for bulb in the English Language Learners Dictionary
bulb
noun
\ ˈbəlb
\
\
Kids Definition of bulb
1
: light bulb
2
: a dormant stage of a plant that is formed underground and consists of a very short stem with one or more flower buds surrounded by special thick leaves
3
: a plant structure (as a tuber) that is somewhat like a bulb
4
: a rounded object or part
the bulb of a thermometer
bulb
noun
\ ˈbəlb
\
\
Medical Definition of bulb
1
: a rounded dilation or expansion of something cylindrical
the bulb of a thermometer
especially
: a rounded or pear-shaped enlargement on a small base
the bulb of an eyedropper
2
: a rounded part: as
a
: a rounded enlargement of one end of a part — see bulb of the penis, bulb of the vestibule, end bulb, hair bulb, olfactory bulb
c
: a thick-walled muscular enlargement of the pharynx of certain nematode worms
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