clump

[ kluhmp ]

/ klʌmp /

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See synonyms for: clump / clumped on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

a lump or mass

a heavy, thumping step, sound, etc.

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

a thick extra sole on a shoe.

verb (used without object)

Also clomp

[klomp] /klɒmp/ . to walk heavily and clumsily.

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

verb (used with object)

to gather or form into a clump; mass.

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Origin of clump

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

OTHER WORDS FROM clump

clumpy, clumpish, clumplike, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clump in a sentence

For much of a game that wound toward midnight and went to double overtime, the students sat in their scattered clumps.
Notre Dame president admonishes students for coronavirus violation he also committed|Chuck Culpepper|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
The drug is designed to stick to A-beta and stop it from forming larger, more dangerous clumps.
FDA advisory panel declines to support a controversial Alzheimer’s treatment|Laura Sanders|November 6, 2020|Science News
Add the cheese and massage the bread crumbs with your hands so the cheese evenly coats the breadcrumbs and no large clumps remain.
Homemade, seasoned breadcrumbs add crunch and flavor to pastas, vegetables and more|Jesse Szewczyk|October 30, 2020|Washington Post
These clumps indicate places where clusters of stars are forming and heating the gas, Kaaret says.
Meet the disk-shaped halo of hot gas you currently live in|Kate Baggaley|October 21, 2020|Popular-Science

So the surface that grows hair is inside the clump of cells, and viewers see the base of hair follicles.
A glowing zebrafish wins the 2020 Nikon Small World photography contest|Erin Garcia de Jesus|October 13, 2020|Science News
Inside, the best tables went fast, staked out with bourbon bottles clumped in the center of the tablecloths.
The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis|Richard Ben Cramer|January 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The watchman clumped along the rubber-matted corridor, flung his weight against that door.
In the Dark|Ronal Kayser
Very feebly the doctor crept up; his cane clumped hollowly on the boards.
Cursed|George Allan England
DeCastros, that gross, terrifying clown of a man, clumped down the ladder from the bridge to defeat the enchantment of the moment.
The Marooner|Charles A. Stearns
The heavy boots clumped on her feet, overhanging branches whipped her face and pulled her hair.
A Girl Of The Limberlost|Gene Stratton Porter
Never saw the beat of her, added Uncle Jabez as he clumped out in his heavy boots.
Ruth Fielding At Sunrise Farm|Alice B. Emerson

British Dictionary definitions for clump

clump

/ (klʌmp) /

noun

a cluster, as of trees or plants

a dull heavy tread or any similar sound

an irregular massa clump of hair or earth

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

an extra sole on a shoe

slang a blow

verb

(intr) to walk or tread heavily

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

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

(tr) slang to punch (someone)

Derived forms of clump

clumpy, adjectiveclumpiness, noun

Word Origin for clump

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

clump

Origin of clump

OTHER WORDS FROM clump

Words related to clump

How to use clump in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for clump

Derived forms of clump

Word Origin for clump