bumper

¹ American  

[buhm-per] / ˈbʌm pər /

noun

1. a person or thing that bumps.

2. a metal guard, usually horizontal, for protecting the front or rear of an automobile, truck, etc.

3. any protective rim, guard, pad, or disk for absorbing shock and preventing damage from bumping as a rubber-tipped doorstop or an old tire on the side of a boat.

4. a cup or glass filled to the brim, as with beer.

5. Informal. something unusually large.

6. a person who molds bricks by hand.

7. Foundry. a machine for ramming sand into a mold.

8. a carangid fish, Chlorosombrus chrysurus, of southern U.S. and Cuban coastal seas.

9. Television.

   1. Also called bumper tease.  Also bump in a news program, a brief teaser coming at the end of a segment just before commercials, announcing or previewing a forthcoming story.

   2. Also called commercial bumper,.  Also called break bumper.  a brief interval of music, graphics, or voiceover serving as a transition between program and advertising content.

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adjective

1. unusually abundant.

   Bumper crops reaped a big profit for local farmers.

verb (used with object)

1. to fill to the brim.

bumper ² American  

[buhm-per] / ˈbʌm pər /

noun

Australian Slang.

1. the unconsumed end of a cigarette; cigarette butt.

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bumper ¹ British  

/ ˈbʌmpə /

noun

1. a glass, tankard, etc, filled to the brim, esp as a toast

2. an unusually large or fine example of something

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adjective

1. unusually large, fine, or abundant

   a bumper crop

verb

1. (tr) to toast with a bumper

2. (tr) to fill to the brim

3. (intr) to drink bumpers

bumper ² British  

/ ˈbʌmpə /

noun

1. a horizontal metal bar attached to the front or rear end of a car, lorry, etc, to protect against damage from impact

2. a person or machine that bumps

3. cricket a ball bowled so that it bounces high on pitching; bouncer

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bumper ³ British  

/ ˈbʌmpə /

noun

1. old-fashioned a cigarette end

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Etymology

Origin of bumper¹

First recorded in 1750–60; bump + -er ¹

Origin of bumper²

First recorded in 1890–95; expressive coinage, perhaps blend of butt ¹ and stump + -er ¹

Explanation

A bumper is the curved bar across the front of a car that protects it from getting dented or scratched during minor accidents. If you bump into your mailbox, you may damage your car's bumper. A car's bumper is designed to absorb as much impact as possible, protecting the more important parts of the car. A bumper car at a carnival is made to be slammed into other bumper cars — the bumpers help keep riders safe from injury, while the cars travel too slowly to cause damage. The earliest bumpers, in the 1830s, were on the front of trains. The phrase "bumper-to-bumper traffic" means an unusually dense traffic jam.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bumper

BlackRock BLK 7.44%increase; green up pointing triangle shares rallied after the investment firm posted bumper quarterly results and made history as the first investment firm to manage more than $15 trillion in assets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Even in my fire company, where we are dedicated to preventing loss of life, skulls are on practically every T-shirt, bumper sticker, and key chain.

From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026

A BBC reporter on the scene said traffic was bumper to bumper, with several roads closed during rush hour traffic.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

He has promised bumper defense budgets and wants to mend ties with Washington, which has provided the Colombian military with billions of dollars worth of aid over decades.

From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026

I sigh and start working on the bumper.

From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na

Related Words

• ample
• bountiful
• fertile
• generous
• productive
• prolific
• sufficient
• unlimited