dump

American  

[duhmp] / dʌmp /

verb (used with object)

• dumps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dumped,
  past participle,  past
• dumping
  present participle

1. to drop or let fall in a mass; fling down or drop heavily or suddenly.

   Dump the topsoil here.

2. to empty out, as from a container, by tilting or overturning.

3. to unload or empty out (a container), as by tilting or overturning.

4. to dismiss, fire, or release from a contract.

   The first baseman was dumped from the team after hitting .210 for the first half of the season.

5. Informal. to end a relationship with (someone, especially a romantic partner), especially when the decision is one-sided.

   I can’t believe she waited until just after Valentine’s Day to dump me.

6. to transfer or rid oneself of suddenly and irresponsibly.

   Don't dump your troubles on me!

7. Boxing Slang.

   1. to knock down.

      The champion was dumped twice but won the fight.

   2. to lose (a match) intentionally.

      a bribe to dump a fight.

8. Commerce.

   1. to put (goods or securities) on the market in large quantities and at a low price without regard to the effect on market conditions.

   2. to sell (goods) into foreign markets below cost in order to promote exports or damage foreign competition.

9. Computers. to print, display, or record on an output medium (the contents of a computer's internal storage or the contents of a file), often at the time a program fails.

10. Slang. to kill; murder.

    There were threats to dump him if he didn't pay up.

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verb (used without object)

• dumps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dumped,
  past participle,  past
• dumping
  present participle

1. to fall or drop down suddenly.

2. to throw away or discard garbage, refuse, etc.

3. Commerce.

   1. to offer goods for sale in large quantities at a low price.

   2. to dump below-cost goods into foreign markets.

4. to release contents.

   a sewage pipe that dumps in the ocean.

5. Informal. to complain, criticize, gossip, or tell another person one's problems.

   He calls me up just to dump.

6. Slang: Vulgar. defecate.

noun

• dumps
  plural

1. an accumulation of discarded garbage, refuse, etc.

2. Also called dumpsite, dumping-ground. a place where garbage, refuse, etc., is deposited.

3. Military.

   1. a collection of ammunition, stores, etc., deposited at some point, as near a battlefront, for distribution.

   2. the ammunition, stores, etc., so deposited.

4. the act of dumping.

5. Mining.

   1. a runway or embankment equipped with tripping devices, from which low-grade ore, rock, etc., are dumped.

   2. the pile of ore so dumped.

6. Informal. a place, house, or town that is dilapidated, dirty, or disreputable.

7. (in merchandising) a bin or specially made carton in which items are displayed for sale.

   Fifty copies of the best-selling paperback novel were in a dump near the checkout counter.

8. Computers. a copy of the contents of a computer's internal storage or of the contents of a file at a given instant, that is printed, displayed, or stored on an output medium.

9. Slang: Vulgar. an act of defecating; evacuation.

   This photo is fantastic, except for the dog you can see taking a dump in the background.

idioms

1. dump on (someone),

   1. to treat with disrespect, especially to criticize harshly or attack with verbal abuse.

      Reporters never tired of dumping on certain public figures.

   2. to unload one's problems onto (another person).

      You never phone me without dumping on me.

dump ¹ British  

/ dʌmp /

verb

1. to drop, fall, or let fall heavily or in a mass

2. (tr) to empty (objects or material) out of a container

3. to unload, empty, or make empty (a container), as by tilting or overturning

4. informal (tr) to dispose of

5. (tr) to dispose of (waste, esp radioactive nuclear waste) in the sea or on land

6. commerce

   1. to market (goods) in bulk and at low prices

   2. to offer for sale large quantities of (goods) on foreign markets at low prices in order to maintain a high price in the home market and obtain a share of the foreign markets

7. (tr) to store (supplies, arms, etc) temporarily

8. slang (intr) to defecate

9. (tr) surfing (of a wave) to hurl a swimmer or surfer down

10. (tr) to compact (bales of wool) by hydraulic pressure

11. (tr) computing to record (the contents of part or all of the memory) on a storage device, such as magnetic tape, at a series of points during a computer run

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noun

1. 1. a place or area where waste materials are dumped

   2. ( in combination )

      rubbish dump

2. a pile or accumulation of rubbish

3. the act of dumping

4. informal a dirty or unkempt place

5. military a place where weapons, supplies, etc, are stored

6. slang an act of defecation

dump ² British  

/ dʌmp /

noun

1. obsolete a mournful song; lament

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dumper
  noun
• undumped
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dumps
  plural

Participles

• dumping
  present
• dumped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dump
  simple
• dumps
  simple
• have dumped
  perfect
• has dumped
  perfect
• am dumping
  progressive
• are dumping
  progressive
• is dumping
  progressive
• have been dumping
  perfect progressive
• has been dumping
  perfect progressive

Past

• dumped
  simple
• had dumped
  perfect
• was dumping
  progressive
• were dumping
  progressive
• had been dumping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dump
  simple
• will have dumped
  perfect
• will be dumping
  progressive
• will have been dumping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of dump

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English dompen, dumpen in the sense “to fall suddenly, plunge,” from Old Norse dumpa “to thump, strike, bump”; modern senses of the transitive verb and noun are unknown before the 19th century, perhaps derive from another source, or are an independent expressive formation

Explanation

A dump is a place where trash is stored in piles and often buried underground. If you have an old bike that can't be repaired, you might take it to the dump. Some towns have dumps where residents can freely dispose of garbage, while others require people to pay for the rubbish they bring. You can also call a dump a "landfill," but dump makes sense — it comes from the verb dump, "to toss, drop, or throw away." A figurative meaning of the word is to abruptly and unkindly break off a romantic relationship with someone: "It would be so mean to dump him on his birthday."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dump dumps dumped dumping

The researchers compare it to approximately 40 million dump trucks' worth of matter, or about 1.3 trillion one-pound burritos every second.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

The manager of the dump was arrested on Monday as part of a corruption probe.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Many companies are in “low-hire, low-fire” mode, which means they aren’t eager to dump a bunch of employees, but they aren’t bringing on new workers either.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Land that borders a protected nature site is being investigated over claims it is being used as an illegal site to dump medical waste.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

As Clare made his way to the dump, the haze was so thick, one would not even know he passed but for the whiny wheel on his worn-out wagon.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Also: How to use options around earnings to trade Nike’s stock, which has been down in the dumps for years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Some scientists recommend five days, especially if the beach is close to an area where a river or an outfall dumps into the ocean.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

People living in informal settlements built on mine waste dumps are falling ill and more "houses will crack and fall into sinkholes", he said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

A Shropshire vicar played a key role in a new two-part BBC documentary featuring Welsh Hollywood actor Michael Sheen's investigation into toxic waste dumps.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

“Marvelous, Mrs. Murphy,” he says, and dumps four spoons of sugar into his cup.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

It dumped 5.62 inches of rain on L.A. over three days, spawned wind gusts of up to 65 mph and resulted in 45 deaths from flooding, with an additional 48 deaths at sea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

Even though both rose in the following three years, many dumped bonds in favor of better-performing stocks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Storms, like the nor’easter that dumped rain from North Carolina to Maine over the weekend, happen.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

In the past, diesel fuel was poured around the bases of the trees, and grounds staff said last month that they suspected copper sulfate was dumped into the holes drilled near the roots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

The younger ones carried the baskets to the shore and dumped the dirt in the water.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

"With this research, we're basically taking a major pawn out of the Ordovician Meteor Event and dumping it into the Frasnian-Famennian event, and saying, 'This is where this impact belongs,'" she said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026

Crews spent days vacuuming the pool bottom after dumping gallon jugs of hydrogen peroxide into the water to abate the blooms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

For decades, Orange County, New York, was a hotbed of illegal dumping, leading to toxins in the soil and water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Buried with Michael Sheen explores toxic chemical dumping in 14 sites in Wales and England.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

“Here!” he said, dumping them on the table.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

Related Words

• deposit
• discard
• discharge
• dispose of
• ditch
• drain
• empty
• get rid of
• jettison
• leave
• scrap
• unload