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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

bumper ³ British  

/ ˈbʌmpə /

noun

1. old-fashioned a cigarette end

---

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

Taking place between 27 and 30 August is Reading and Leeds Festival, which has a bumper six headliners who are all British and Irish.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Japan's Nintendo has enjoyed bumper sales for its latest Switch 2 console, but some have called the line-up of new games for the device lackluster.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

Officers later located the car near his home, with significant damage to the windscreen, bonnet and front bumper.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

WSJ: Do people really care about bumper stickers?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

Habib was a few feet away, standing on the truck’s bumper, combing the crowds.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Related Words

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