clump

[kluhmp]

noun

1. a small, close group or cluster, especially of trees or other plants.

2. a lump or mass

3. a heavy, thumping step, sound, etc.

4. Immunology.,  a cluster of agglutinated bacteria, red blood cells, etc.

5. a thick extra sole on a shoe.

verb (used without object)

1. Also clomp to walk heavily and clumsily.

2. Immunology.,  to gather or be gathered into clumps; agglutinate.

verb (used with object)

1. to gather or form into a clump; mass.

clump

/ klʌmp /

noun

1. a cluster, as of trees or plants

2. a dull heavy tread or any similar sound

3. an irregular mass

   a clump of hair or earth

4. an inactive mass of microorganisms, esp a mass of bacteria produced as a result of agglutination

5. an extra sole on a shoe

6. slang,  a blow

verb

1. (intr) to walk or tread heavily

2. to gather or be gathered into clumps, clusters, clots, etc

3. to cause (bacteria, blood cells, etc) to collect together or (of bacteria, etc) to collect together

4. slang,  (tr) to punch (someone)

Other Word Forms

• clumpy adjective
• clumpish adjective
• clumplike adjective
• clumpiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of clump¹

First recorded in 1580–90; akin to Dutch klompe “lump, mass,” Old English clympre “lump of metal”

Word History and Origins

Origin of clump¹

Old English clympe; related to Middle Dutch klampe heap of hay, Middle Low German klampe _clamp ², Swedish klimp small lump

Example Sentences

When tau becomes misfolded, it starts clumping together into long, fibrous aggregates known as fibrils.

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Prior to “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” most were willing to brush clumps of cigarette ash off of cardigan sweaters and, at most, bail a lover out of jail.

Read more on Salon

The term microclots, recently adopted in the scientific literature, refers to abnormal clumps of blood clotting proteins circulating in a patient's blood stream.

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The sticky clumps coated the ship and the men.

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A fish wiggled out from a muddy clump on her head and plopped back into the pond.

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Related Words

• blob 
• bundle 
• chunk 
• cluster 
• hunk 
• jumble 
• knot 
• lump 
• wad