bump
to come more or less violently in contact with; collide with; strike: His car bumped a truck.
to cause to strike or collide: He bumped the car against a tree.
to dislodge or displace by the force of collision.
to dislodge by appropriating the privileges of: The airline bumped me from the flight.
to demote or dismiss: He was bumped from his job.
to force upward; raise: Demand from abroad bumped the price of corn.
to move to a new position: We had to bump your story to next week's paper.
Digital Technology. to move (an online post or thread) to the top of the reverse chronological list by adding a new comment or post to the thread: I bumped the question I posted last week to make it more visible.
Poker. raise (def. 24).
to come in contact or collide with (often followed by against or into): She bumped into me.
to bounce along; proceed in a series of jolts: The old car bumped down the road.
to dance by thrusting the pelvis forward abruptly, in a provocative manner, especially to the accompaniment of an accented musical beat.: Compare grind (def. 14).
to boil with violent jolts caused by the sudden eruption of large bubbles through the surface.
a swelling or contusion from a blow.
a small area raised above the level of the surrounding surface; protuberance: He tripped over a bump on the sidewalk.
Informal. a promotion or demotion; transfer to a higher or lower level: He got a bump to vice president of the company.
Informal. an increase in amount, especially of salary or a wager:He asked the boss for a ten-dollar bump.
Aeronautics. a rapidly rising current of air that gives an airplane a severe upward thrust.
a dance movement in which the pelvis is abruptly thrust forward in a provocative manner, especially to the accompaniment of an accented musical beat.: Compare grind (def. 20).
Mining. crump (def. 6).
Television. bumper1 (def. 9a).
bump into, Informal. to meet by chance: I bumped into an old friend yesterday.
bump off, Slang. to kill, especially to murder: They bumped him off because he knew too much.
Origin of bump
1Other words from bump
- bump·ing·ly, adverb
- un·bumped, adjective
Words Nearby bump
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use bump in a sentence
Hana itself, with a population of 800, isn’t much more than a bump in the road, but it’s a hiker’s paradise.
After the shot, he caught up with colleagues whom he had not seen in person since the spring, saying goodbye with elbow bumps.
Churches pair up with clinics to deliver coronavirus vaccine to those who need it most | Jenna Portnoy | February 10, 2021 | Washington PostCastillo said he already has seen a bump in inquiries from young people for his studio.
How break dancing made the leap from ’80s pop culture to the Olympic stage | Rick Maese | February 9, 2021 | Washington PostStill, women are perceived as talking more than men, even when they don’t, and while men benefit from talking more—listeners find them to be more competent—women don’t get the same bump.
Tokyo Olympics chief said women talk too much in meetings. Research says he’s wrong | Claire Zillman | February 5, 2021 | FortuneA little storm passing to the north tonight is our main bump on the way to a pleasant Friday.
PM Update: Rain and snow showers tonight, ahead of a warmer Friday | Ian Livingston | February 4, 2021 | Washington Post
As bump notes, this goes a long way toward explaining the disciplinary disparity between blacks and whites in public schools.
Americans See Innocent Black Kids as Guilty Adults | Jamelle Bouie | March 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd over at The Wire, Philip bump highlights a disturbing new study that measures bias as it applies to African American boys.
Americans See Innocent Black Kids as Guilty Adults | Jamelle Bouie | March 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTbump along with Bill to his newest (and possibly only) dance track in this promo video for GatesLetter.com.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Covert Workout, Rob Ford Goes Jamaican and More Viral Videos | Ariana Dickey | January 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHowever the breakfast show they were working on has been axed and will be replaced by a show called The bump.
Philip bump on how a performance artist misled the public radio show.
The Conning of ‘This American Life’ Leads to an Embarrassing Retraction | Philip Bump | March 17, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST"bump," it went up against a telephone pole and the wind left it there.
bump it in the carburetor enough times, rake it with shrapnel, and it begins to lose its first freshness.
Our Part in the Great War | Arthur GleasonRocking the boats till people fell bump right out of their berths onto the floor!
Fairy Prince and Other Stories | Eleanor Hallowell Abbottbump he went against the ceiling, and I knew then why he was all over white on the more salient curves and angles of his person.
Twelve Stories and a Dream | H. G. WellsThe pole seemed to have magnetic qualities and the result was "bump."
Nuggets of the New Thought | William Walker Atkinson,
British Dictionary definitions for bump
/ (bʌmp) /
(when intr , usually foll by against or into) to knock or strike with a jolt
(intr often foll by along) to travel or proceed in jerks and jolts
(tr) to hurt by knocking: he bumped his head on the ceiling
(tr) to knock out of place; dislodge: the crash bumped him from his chair
(tr) British to throw (a child) into the air, one other child holding each limb, and let him down again to touch the ground
(in rowing races, esp at Oxford and Cambridge) to catch up with and touch (another boat that started a fixed distance ahead)
cricket to bowl (a ball) so that it bounces high on pitching or (of a ball) to bounce high when bowled
(intr) mainly US and Canadian to dance erotically by thrusting the pelvis forward (esp in the phrase bump and grind)
(tr) poker to raise (someone)
(tr) informal to exclude a ticket-holding passenger from a flight as a result of overbooking
(tr) informal to displace (someone or something) from a previously allocated position: the story was bumped from the front page
bump uglies US slang to have sexual intercourse
an impact; knock; jolt; collision
a dull thud or other noise from an impact or collision
the shock of a blow or collision
a lump on the body caused by a blow
a protuberance, as on a road surface
any of the natural protuberances of the human skull, said by phrenologists to indicate underlying faculties and character
a rising current of air that gives an aircraft a severe upward jolt
(plural) the act of bumping a child. See sense 5
rowing the act of bumping: See bumping race
bump ball cricket a ball that bounces into the air after being hit directly into the ground by the batsman
Origin of bump
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with bump
In addition to the idioms beginning with bump
- bump into
- bump off
- bump up
also see:
- goose pimples (bumps)
- like a bump on a log
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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