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

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Etymology

Origin of speed bump

First recorded in 1970–75

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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

Others would characterize the plague less as a turning point than a speed bump that slowed Europe’s inevitable ascent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

“I’m saying it doesn’t make any difference. Dead or alive, we have to get by this prehistoric speed bump or we’re going to die on this road. One way or the other we’re dead.”

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

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