: 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
… a large underground rhizome, a bulblike growth that extends massive roots from its underside. —Elizabeth Schneider
Illustration of bulb
1 hyacinth
2 onion
3 tulip
4 lily
Examples of bulb in a Sentence
the bulb of the thermometer
Recent Examples on the WebThe lamp comes with LED bulbs for soft-white lighting but can also fit standard light bulbs.—Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2024 Mingle in the plan's optional bulbs (crocus, daffodils, and tulips) for a little early spring color.—Nadia Hassani, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 June 2024 June 11, 2024 Since Thomas Edison invented the incandescent bulb in 1880, the primary purpose of electric light has been to illuminate.—Rosa Jisoo Pyo, Vogue, 11 June 2024 The Domes received a gift of a dormant corpse flower corm — similar to a bulb or tuber — about 16 years ago from the University of Wisconsin and have since grown more than 10 corpse flower corms from the original.—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 28 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for bulb
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bulb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin bulbus, from Greek bolbos bulbous plant
: 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
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