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

Example Sentences

So filing a claim for the bumper wasn’t worth it, he said.

From MarketWatch

John R Thomas Florist, in Church Stretton, Shropshire, was celebrating the end of a bumper year which included the shop's 40th anniversary and a national award nomination.

From BBC

The equity gains tracked a surge on Wall Street led by the Nasdaq as technology giants following a bumper earnings report from chip giant Micron Technology that reinvigorated the AI trade.

From Barron's

A bumper crop of data from October and November was always likely to be confusing.

From Barron's

—U.S. futures were down as investors await a bumper installment of jobs data as well as retail sales data for October.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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