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Synonyms

goose bumps

American  
[goos-buhmps] / ˈgusˌbʌmps /
Or goosebumps

plural noun

  1. a rough condition of the skin, resembling that of a plucked goose, induced by cold or fear; horripilation.

Etymology

Origin of goose bumps

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I had a lot of goose bumps watching it."

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2025

“It gives me goose bumps when I think about that scene,” Thornton said.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 13, 2024

“It gives me goose bumps to know that the vision that we had back then” paid off, Cárdenas said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2024

On a walk around Central Park this fall, he repeatedly pointed to his forearms to show that the conversation had given him goose bumps.

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2024

It wasn’t cold exactly, but the early-morning air raised goose bumps on her arms.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.