sump

[ suhmp ]

noun

1. a pit, well, or the like in which water or other liquid is collected.
2. Machinery. a chamber at the bottom of a machine, pump, circulation system, etc., into which a fluid drains before recirculation or in which wastes gather before disposal.
3. Mining.
   1. a space where water is allowed to collect at the bottom of a shaft or below a passageway.
   2. a pilot shaft or tunnel pushed out in front of a main bore.
4. British. crankcase.
5. British Dialect. a swamp, bog, or muddy pool.

sump

/ sʌmp /

noun

1. a receptacle, such as the lower part of the crankcase of an internal-combustion engine, into which liquids, esp lubricants, can drain to form a reservoir
2. another name for cesspool
3. mining
   1. a depression at the bottom of a shaft where water collects before it is pumped away
   2. the front portion of a shaft or tunnel, ahead of the main bore
4. dialect.
   a muddy pool or swamp

Word History and Origins

Origin of sump¹

1375–1425; late Middle English sompe < Middle Low German or Middle Dutch sump; cognate with German Sumpf; akin to swamp

Word History and Origins

Origin of sump¹

C17: from Middle Dutch somp marsh; see swamp

Example Sentences

And the puzzling question is why the once-formidable California GOP keeps following this unstable character into a sump.

From Los Angeles Times

“There was a bowl in the infield, and when it rained, I was out there with sump pumps and running extension cords. I wore boots, because I would get shocked if I didn’t.”

From Los Angeles Times

The statement continued: “There are ‘sumps’ or collectors in place to collect any tar, which are being regularly pumped out and assessed.

From Los Angeles Times

Many of these older systems, especially the sumps, weren't designed to handle the corrosive mix of gasoline and ethanol sold in the United States.

From Salon

Starting in 1974, Chevron subsidiary Union Oil Company of California had operated a sump pit for oil and gas production, a process that left the carcinogenic chemical benzene on the property, court papers said.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• lowland
• marshland
• wetlands