speed bump

American  

noun

speed bumps plural

1. a rounded ridge built crosswise into the pavement of a road or driveway to force vehicles to slow down.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• speed bumps
  plural

Etymology

Origin of speed bump

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

speed bump

Or are they just another speed bump on the way to peace?

From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2026

U.S. stocks hit some turbulence in June, and that seemed to carry over into early July, as a powerful momentum trade centered on semiconductor stocks hit a speed bump.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

Discovery — presenting a potential speed bump to David Ellison’s plan to wrap up his $111-billion deal by September.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

Chip stocks hit a speed bump late last week, and again on Monday, with the first meaningful downturn in the sector benchmark since late March.

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

He was driving so slowly over a speed bump that she feared the car would stall.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie