hump

[ huhmp ]

/ hʌmp /

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See synonyms for: hump / humped / humping on Thesaurus.com

noun

a rounded protuberance, especially a fleshy protuberance on the back, as that due to abnormal curvature of the spine in humans, or that normally present in certain animals, as the camel or bison.

Physical Geography.

a low, rounded rise of ground; hummock.
a mountain or mountain range.

Railroads. (in a switchyard) a raised area down which cars pushed to its crest roll by gravity and momentum for automatic sorting through a series of preset switches.

Slang: Vulgar.

an act or instance of sexual intercourse.
a partner in sexual intercourse.

the hump,

British Slang. a fit of depression or bad humor: to get the hump.
(initial capital letter) (in World War II) the Himalayas.

verb (used with object)

to raise (the back) in a hump; hunch: The cat humped its back.

Railroads. to sort (cars) by means of a hump.

Informal. to exert (oneself) in a great effort.

Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse with.

Slang.

to place or bear on the back or shoulder.
to carry or haul.
to load or unload; lift.

verb (used without object)

to rise in a hump.

Informal. to exert oneself; hustle or hurry.

Slang: Vulgar. to engage in sexual intercourse.

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Idioms about hump

over the hump, past the most difficult, time-consuming, or dangerous part or period: The doctor says she's over the hump now and should improve steadily.

Origin of hump

First recorded in 1700–10; probably abstracted from humpbacked; akin to Frisian hompe “lump, chunk,” Dutch homp “lump, chunk,” Middle Low German hump “bump,” Norwegian dialect hupp, hump “flank (of an animal),” or Low German humpel, hümpel “height, knob, hump (of a camel)”

OTHER WORDS FROM hump

humper, nounhumpless, adjective

Words nearby hump

humoresque, humorist, humorous, humour, humoursome, hump, humpback, humpbacked, humpback salmon, humpback whale, hump day

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

How to use hump in a sentence

The problem is getting over the disgust hump, because people don’t realize they’ll cease to be disgusted once they get used to something.
The Downside of Disgust (Ep. 448)|Stephen J. Dubner|January 21, 2021|Freakonomics
They were about how animals got their famous features, like the camel’s hump and the leopard’s spots.
Why Birds Can Fly Over Mount Everest - Issue 94: Evolving|Walter Murch|December 30, 2020|Nautilus
The vehicles will have longer wheelbases with shorter overhangs, which means the steering wheel and pedals can come forward, and there’s no hump down the center of the cabin to accommodate the drivetrain.
Hyundai plans to build dozens of vehicles on its new modular EV platform|Stan Horaczek|December 3, 2020|Popular-Science
If Democrats can get lower-propensity voters in the Rio Grande Valley and the big metro areas to turn out, I’m convinced we’d get over the hump.
The Trailer: The seven political states of Texas|David Weigel|October 4, 2020|Washington Post

It’s no longer Wednesday, but you should still check out our OZY hump day playlist.
This Weekend: A Sangria Slushie Summer|Fiona Zublin|August 7, 2020|Ozy
Diplomatic dispatches at the time, written by men who had no reason to lie to their own rulers, reported no hump or withered arm.
Unraveling King Richard III’s Secrets||February 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Also 2004: John Kerry kept it close but never got over the hump.
Barack Obama’s Cockiness Problem in His Contest With Mitt Romney|Michael Tomasky|April 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Despite 20 years of cycling between expectation and disappointment, I hump along with that aim in mind.
Author to Bestsellers: Drop Dead|Valerie Frankel|September 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In the former Bill Hurt longed to hump you and in the latter a large dog did just that in your role as an animal trainer.
Kathleen Turner's New Broadway High|Kevin Sessums|April 17, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Of course, not even a new Contract With America may be enough to help Republicans over the hump in 2010.
The GOP Replays 1994|Samuel P. Jacobs|October 12, 2009|DAILY BEAST
She wore an old poke bonnet and carried a crooked stick, and there seemed to be a hump upon her back.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
The hump-backed little figure with poke-bonnet and cane was chased out upon the broken landing.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
The cloak and the hump under it were likewise torn off and went sailing away on the current.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
Now, said the hump-backed man, who had watched him keenly, what do you mean by coming into my house in this violent way?
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3)|Charles Dickens
Hump, stay and take this wolfeOut of my brest, that thou hast lodgd there, orFor euer lose mee.
The Fatal Dowry|Philip Massinger

British Dictionary definitions for hump

hump

/ (hʌmp) /

noun

a rounded protuberance or projection, as of earth, sand, etc

pathol a rounded deformity of the back in persons with kyphosis, consisting of a convex spinal curvature

a rounded protuberance on the back of a camel or related animal

the hump British informal a fit of depression or sulking (esp in the phrase it gives me the hump)

over the hump past the largest or most difficult portion of work, time, etc

verb

to form or become a hump; hunch; arch

(tr) British slang to carry or heave

slang to have sexual intercourse with (someone)

hump one's swag Australian and NZ informal (of a tramp) to carry one's belongings from place to place on one's back

Derived forms of hump

humplike, adjective

Word Origin for hump

C18: probably from earlier humpbacked

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with hump

hump

see over the hump.

hump

Idioms about hump

Origin of hump

OTHER WORDS FROM hump

Words nearby hump

Words related to hump

How to use hump in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hump

Derived forms of hump

Word Origin for hump

Other Idioms and Phrases with hump