Illustration of bulb
- 1 hyacinth
- 2 onion
- 3 tulip
- 4 lily
plural bulbs
1
a
: 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
bulblike
adjective
or bulb-like
… a large underground rhizome, a bulblike growth that extends massive roots from its underside.
—
Elizabeth Schneider
Elizabeth Schneider
Examples of bulb in a Sentence
the bulb of the thermometer
Recent Examples on the Web
Growing summer savory near onions is also thought to improve the growth of your onion bulbs and may sweeten their flavor.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 May 2026
Not to mention, harvesting garlic bulbs can disturb the soil quite a bit and interfere with the growth of sage plant roots.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 10 May 2026
Azure Blue Azure blue also clashes with the warm, 3000K, soft white bulb that most of us prefer for a relaxing soak.
—Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026
Plant bulbs in pots in the fall before the first frost.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bulb
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Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 May 2026
Not to mention, harvesting garlic bulbs can disturb the soil quite a bit and interfere with the growth of sage plant roots.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 10 May 2026
Azure Blue Azure blue also clashes with the warm, 3000K, soft white bulb that most of us prefer for a relaxing soak.
—Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026
Plant bulbs in pots in the fall before the first frost.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bulb
Cite this Entry
“Bulb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bulb. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bulb
noun1
a
: an underground resting stage of a plant (as an onion or tulip) consisting of a short stem base bearing one or more buds enclosed in overlapping leaves
b
: a fleshy structure (as a tuber or corm) resembling a bulb in appearance or function
2
: a rounded object or part shaped more or less like a bulb
a flashlight bulb
Medical Definition
bulb
noun1
: 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
b
: medulla oblongata
broadly
: the hindbrain exclusive of the cerebellum
c
: a thick-walled muscular enlargement of the pharynx of certain nematode worms
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