bump
noun
\ ˈbəmp
\
\
plural bumps
Definition of bump
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a relatively abrupt convexity or protuberance on a surface: such as
a
: a swelling of tissue
Her face flawless. Not a bump, a splotch or a freckle.— Katy Kelly
b
: a sudden rise or uneven area in a road surface likely to jolt a passing vehicle
a bump in the road
c
phrenology
: a cranial protuberance
2a
: a sudden forceful blow, impact, or jolt
felt a bump when the boat hit the dock
b
: demotion
3
: an action of thrusting the hips forward with an abrupt suggestive motion (as in a dance or in a burlesque striptease act) — compare grind entry 2 sense 4
4
: baby bump
Confirming her pregnancy at the September 6 MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West's ex, 28, showed off her bump for the first time on the red carpet.— Allison Corneau
5
: an increase in amount
a slight bump in wages/prices … since "Glee" burst on the scene last fall, some local show choirs have seen a bump in auditions …— Kristin Tillotson
6
slang
: a small quantity of an illicit drug when inhaled in powdered form at one time
At her first few shows Savannah did bumps of coke off her pinkie before hitting the stage.— Peter Wilkinson
7
volleyball
: the act or an instance of bumping (see bump entry 2 sense 4) the ball with the forearms
Loara High volleyball player Juli Miles demonstrates how to execute a bump during a match … . As the ball approaches, bring in your elbows and lock them so that your forearms are close to touching, which creates a nice, flat platform for the ball to bounce off.— Laura Czingula
bump
verb
bumped;
bumping;
bumps
Definition of bump (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to strike or knock with force or violence
2
: to collide with
3a(1)
: to dislodge with a jolt
(2)
: to subject to a scalar change
rates being bumped up
b
: to oust usually by virtue of seniority or priority
was bumped from the flight
4
volleyball
: to hit (the ball) with the forearms held close together and facing upward (as when receiving a serve)
Hitting a ball with your bare forearms might sound painful, but it won't be if you learn how to bump the ball properly.— Eric Rinehimer
5
US slang
: to play or listen to (recorded music, especially rap)
… a portable DVD/CD player that bumps the new Snoop Dogg through surround-sound speakers …— Daniel G. Habib
1
: to knock against something with a forceful jolt
2
: to proceed in or as if in a series of bumps
3
: to encounter something that is an obstacle or hindrance
bumped up against a chair
bump into
: to encounter especially by chance
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Synonyms for bump
Synonyms: Noun
knot, lump, node, nodule, swelling
Synonyms: Verb
bang, bash, collide, crash, hit, impact, impinge, knock, ram, slam, smash, strike, swipe, thud
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Examples of bump in a Sentence
Noun
He wound up with a few minor bumps and bruises from the fight. Did you feel a bump?Verb
I have a bruise from where I bumped my head. Be careful not to bump the vase. You nearly bumped me off the edge! The jolt bumped him right out of his seat. They bumped into us from behind. The boat bumped against the pier. The TV show will be bumped to a new time. Increasing fuel costs are bumping the company's prices higher. The loss bumped us out of first place.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The Dell Chromebook 11 fits that bill, sporting a simple black chassis that's built to withstand bumps and drops. — Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, "Guidemaster: How to buy a Chromebook, plus our best picks," 7 Sep. 2019 The other two children suffered minor bumps and bruises, prosecutors said. — Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com, "Cleveland woman admits to driving drunk in crash that injured her three children," 3 Sep. 2019 With the acquisition of each new restaurant, Perales was building up a company that could withstand the bumps and bruises of a scaling business. — Dallas News, "Dallas' franchise king Guillermo Perales just opened his 1,000th store – and he's not done growing yet," 1 Aug. 2019 That image showed off the large camera bump and sensors, and the phone has been spotted out in the wild. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Pixel 4 screen leak show off large forehead bezel," 20 July 2019 Other than the bump and the gray Google logo, the phone doesn’t have the Pixel’s signature two-tone design. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "Google shows off the Pixel 4's dual camera after leaks surface," 12 June 2019 Most of the women suffered bruises, bumps and soreness. — oregonlive.com, "Man who randomly punched judge, prosecutor and others in downtown Portland gets 4 years," 6 June 2019 Truth be told, given the Spurs’ vigilance with bumps and bruises during the summertime, that might have been enough to end Metu’s tournament on its own. — Jeff Mcdonald, San Antonio Express-News, "Metu’s misfortune means missed opportunity for Spurs’ second-rounder," 12 July 2018 Both were airlifted to Anchorage, where Milling, 21, was treated for bumps and bruises and released. — Matt Tunseth, Anchorage Daily News, "‘I’ll never forget him’: Alaskan husky rescues injured hiker crossing frigid Eagle River along Crow Pass Trail," 22 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
On video, it is shown Lavaka aggressively bumping into Alesana Sunia, a Hawaii offensive lineman. — oregonlive, "Oregon State suspends Gus Lavaka, Kaleb Hayes for first half against Cal Poly, Addison Gumbs sustains season-ending knee injury," 9 Sep. 2019 At that point, the vehicle began to roll downhill and bumped into a police cruiser. — Emily Sweeney, BostonGlobe.com, "This was no knight in shining armor," 4 Sep. 2019 Looking back at it, the flag was thrown because a staffer bumped into the official on the sideline and not because players were celebrating. — Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, "A few things you may have missed in Alabama win over Duke," 1 Sep. 2019 An Instagram post has gone viral after a massive great white shark bumped into a fisherman's boat with its mouth wide open in Cape Cod earlier this week. — Fox News, "Real-life 'Jaws'? Massive great white shark almost bites fisherman's boat," 30 Aug. 2019 Bastoni has attached a rearview mirror to his backpack that helps him avoid bumping into objects along his way. — Washington Post, "Indonesian walking 700 kilometers backward to save forests," 24 Aug. 2019 In the years since Ballard’s expedition, visitors to the site have made their mark: Modern trash litters the area, and some experts claim that submersibles have damaged the ship by landing on it or bumping into it. — National Geographic, "How the Titanic was lost and found," 22 Aug. 2019 There were no real things to clean up from last week except avoiding the communication-type errors that led to him bumping into running back Phillip Lindsay. — Ryan O'halloran, The Denver Post, "Five Broncos to watch in Monday’s preseason game against San Francisco," 18 Aug. 2019 Anyway, back to the point: Rachel Bilson bumped into Adam Brody at JFK Airport, and the hearts of millennials across the globe promptly stopped, palpitated, or completely exploded. — Emily Dixon, Marie Claire, "Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody Ran Into Each Other at the Airport," 14 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bump.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.