jumped-up

American

[juhmpt-uhp] / ˈdʒʌmptˈʌp /

adjective

Chiefly British.

having recently gained prominence or fame and appearing arrogant.

jumped-up British

adjective

informal suddenly risen in significance, esp when appearing arrogant

"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

Etymology

Origin of jumped-up

First recorded in 1825–35

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.

See Examples For:

jumped-up

Those doofuses on YouTube, spinning out in their jumped-up Ford Mustangs?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025

Regular soldiers looked down on General Hamdan and his paramilitaries as a motley crew — “a bunch of jumped-up yahoos from the sticks, not proper military men,” as one Western ambassador put it.

From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2023

It kind of recalls the way that aristocratic Germans thought they could control Adolf Hitler because he was this jumped-up little corporal.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2018

Ray said: "Some people say he's a jumped-up upstart, but I say: take him as you find him."

From The Guardian ● Jun. 8, 2014

The guys animate their answers with fist pumping and jumped-up bro hugs and take-thats and all manner of behaviors that make it seem like we’re participating in football practice and not a dry Quiz Bowl.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

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