lump

[luhmp]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lump ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a piece or mass of solid matter without regular shape or of no particular shape: a lump of coal.

a protuberance or swelling: a blow that raised a lump on his head.

an aggregation, collection, or mass; clump: All the articles were piled in a great lump.

Also called lump of sugar. a small block of granulated sugar, designed for sweetening hot coffee, tea, etc.: How many lumps do you take in your coffee?

majority; plurality; multitude: The great lump of voters are still undecided.

lumps, Informal. harsh criticism, punishment, or defeat: The new theory came in for some lumps when other scholars heard of it.

Informal. a heavy, clumsy, and usually stupid person.

adjective

in the form of a lump or lumps: lump sugar.

made up of a number of items taken together; not separated or considered separately: The debts were paid in one lump sum.

verb (used with object)

to unite into one aggregation, collection, or mass (often followed by together): We lumped the reds and blues together.

to deal with, handle, consider, etc., in the lump or mass: to lump unrelated matters indiscriminately.

to make into a lump or lumps: to lump dough before shaping it into loaves.

to raise into or cover with lumps: a plow lumping the moist earth.

verb (used without object)

to form or raise a lump or lumps: Stir the gravy so that it doesn't lump.

to move heavily and awkwardly: The big oaf lumped along beside me.

Idioms

get/take one's lumps, to receive or endure hardship, punishment, criticism, etc.: Without its star pitcher, the baseball team will get its lumps today.

Origin of lump

1250–1300; Middle English lumpe, lomp(e); cognate with early Dutch lompe piece, Danish lump(e) lump, dialectal Norwegian lump block

Related formslump·ing·ly, adverb

lump

[luhmp]

verb (used with object) Informal.

to put up with; resign oneself to; accept and endure: If you don't like it, you can lump it.

Origin of lump

1785–95; Americanism; perhaps identical with British dialect lump to look sullen, of expressive orig.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for lump

bump, swelling, chunk, wad, tumor, bulge, pile, knot, hunk, wedge, chip, morsel, cluster, growth, bunch, protrusion, group, dab, section, gob

Examples from the Web for lump

Contemporary Examples of lump

French President François Hollande is telling the French people they should “not lump them together.”
France’s Wave of Crazy-Terror Christmas Attacks
Christopher Dickey
December 24, 2014
If the Americans are going to lump them together with ISIS, maybe best to join forces.
ISIS and Al Qaeda Ready to Gang Up on Obama's Rebels
Jamie Dettmer
November 11, 2014
The one-time anti-bullying champion let his attorney seek to lump the victim together with the victimizer.
Ray Rice Should Have Remembered His 'Kindness' Anti-Bullying Wristband
Michael Daly
September 10, 2014
One morning in late December, Sclove told me she awoke to discover a lump on her lower spine.
Is Sex Assault a Crime in the Ivy League?
Olivia Nuzzi
May 10, 2014
The lump, it turned out, was the result of a dislocated vertebrae.
Is Sex Assault a Crime in the Ivy League?
Olivia Nuzzi
May 10, 2014

Historical Examples of lump

Alleyne said nothing, but his heart seemed to turn to a lump of ice in his bosom.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
The Little Doctor was struggling with the lump in her throat that he should try to joke about it.
Chip, of the Flying U
B. M. Bower
With that he ups with a lump of a two year old, and lets drive at me.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
Your mind is so set on yourself that you're like a lump of stone.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
Lieutenant Roger Fenton had a lump in his throat when he said good-bye to his boys.
The Comrade In White
W. H. Leathem

British Dictionary definitions for lump

lump

noun

a small solid mass without definite shape

pathol any small swelling or tumour

a collection of things; aggregate

informal an awkward, heavy, or stupid person

(plural) US informal punishment, defeat, or reverseshe took his lumps

the lump British

self-employed workers in the building trade considered collectively, esp with reference to tax and national insurance evasion
(as modifier)lump labour

(modifier) in the form of a lump or lumpslump sugar

a lump in one's throat a tight dry feeling in one's throat, usually caused by great emotion

verb

(tr often foll by together) to collect into a mass or group

(intr) to grow into lumps or become lumpy

(tr) to consider as a single group, often without justification

(tr) to make or cause lumps in or on

(intr often foll by along) to move or proceed in a heavy manner

Word Origin for lump

C13: probably related to early Dutch lompe piece, Scandinavian dialect lump block, Middle High German lumpe rag

lump

verb

(tr) informal to tolerate or put up with; endure (in the phrase lump it)

Word Origin for lump

C16: origin uncertain

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

Word Origin and History for lump

early 14c., lumpe (1224 as surname), probably in Old English, perhaps from a Scandinavian source (cf. cognate Danish lumpe, 16c.), of unknown origin. Cf. also Middle High German lumpe, early modern Dutch lompe. Phrase lump in (one's) throat "feeling of tightness brought on by emotion" is from 1803. Lumps "hard knocks, a beating" is colloquial, from 1934. Lump sum, one covering a number of items, is from 1867.

v.2

"endure" (now usually in contrast to like), 1791, apparently an extended sense from an older meaning "to look sulky, dislike" (1570s), of unknown origin, perhaps a symbolic sound (cf. grump, harumph, etc.). Related: Lumped; lumping.

LUMPING. Great. A lumping pennyworth; a great qualtity for the money, a bargain. He has got a lumping pennyworth; frequently said of a man who marries a fat woman. ["Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence," London, 1811]

v.1

early 15c., "to curl up in a ball, to gather into a lump" (implied in lumped), from lump (n.). Meaning "to put together in one mass or group" is from 1620s. Related: Lumped; lumping.

Idioms and Phrases with lump

lump

In addition to the idiom beginning with lump

lump in one's throat

also see:

like it or lump it