hump
Americannoun
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humps
plural
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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.
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Physical Geography.
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a low, rounded rise of ground; hummock.
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a mountain or mountain range.
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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.
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Slang: Vulgar.
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an act or instance of sexual intercourse.
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a partner in sexual intercourse.
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the hump,
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British Slang. a fit of depression or bad humor.
to get the hump.
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(initial capital letter) (in World War II) the Himalayas.
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verb (used with object)
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humps,
present (3rd person singular)
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humped,
past participle, past
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humping
present participle
verb (used without object)
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humps,
present (3rd person singular)
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humped,
past participle, past
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humping
present participle
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to rise in a hump.
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Informal. to exert oneself; hustle or hurry.
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Slang: Vulgar. to engage in sexual intercourse.
idioms
noun
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a rounded protuberance or projection, as of earth, sand, etc
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pathol a rounded deformity of the back in persons with kyphosis, consisting of a convex spinal curvature
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a rounded protuberance on the back of a camel or related animal
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informal a fit of depression or sulking (esp in the phrase it gives me the hump )
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past the largest or most difficult portion of work, time, etc
verb
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to form or become a hump; hunch; arch
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slang (tr) to carry or heave
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slang to have sexual intercourse with (someone)
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informal (of a tramp) to carry one's belongings from place to place on one's back
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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humpsimple
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humpssimple
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have humpedperfect
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has humpedperfect
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am humpingprogressive
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are humpingprogressive
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is humpingprogressive
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have been humpingperfect progressive
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has been humpingperfect progressive
Past
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humpedsimple
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had humpedperfect
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was humpingprogressive
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were humpingprogressive
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had been humpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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)”
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.
See Examples For:
For most people, Wednesday will be just another day - the midweek hump at school or work.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
As we looked out over the bay, its turquoise edges giving out to darker blue, Olsi pointed at a hump of land rising out of the water.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
The Clippers, meanwhile, are still trying to get over the hump.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
INDIANAPOLIS—For 37 years, Michigan basketball just couldn’t get over the hump.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
She had a large pack that sat like a hump on her back.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
Additional interventions include stenciled speed limits on the road, speed humps, red-light cameras, as well as partnerships with police and public health departments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
The eyes dart back and forth across the desert landscape, detecting rocks, dips and humps, variations in sand color flashing into view like a real-life scene from “Mad Max.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 14, 2023
The government wants to cut emissions by replacing fossil fuel boilers with electric heat humps and in some cases hydrogen-powered devices, as well as making use of greener heat networks.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2023
Projects typically include speed humps, narrower lanes, signs and landscaped barriers.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2022
The humps of shadow suddenly threw off their hoods.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
She “scrabbled, thrutched, clawed, and humped her way up the volume, then threw out right to a bowling-ball sloper, cut her feet, pendulumed out beneath it, and matched it,” writes Mr. Tallent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
It was in a humped position while walking and seemed unable to move, indicating severe abdominal pain, officers said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2023
It has cloned critically endangered, double-humped wild Bactrian camels using the eggs and surrogate mothers of single humped camels, Wani said.
From Reuters ● May 25, 2023
For four months, state and federal officials have sanctioned a hunt of the shaggy, humped animals that delight millions of tourists and are a centerpiece of Native American culture and history.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2023
The ledge he was standing on ended, and the floor beyond it was weirdly humped.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Training a dog to stop humping may be difficult, as it is often a compulsive behavior.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2019
Give Logan Paul a camera and put him in an elevator and he will probably start humping the handrail, or pressing every single button, or something even more stupid.
From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2018
“Every person I know is humping it, and he or she gained that ethic from growing up in the inner city,” he writes persuasively.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 6, 2015
Mr. Hetherington broke his leg on a mission and had to walk four hours down a mountain on it, humping his gear, to get back to camp.
From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2011
Across the school grounds and in the woods and in backyards and in every corner of the county, pumpjacks continue their slow rhythm, humping at the earth.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
