dump
Americanverb (used with object)
-
dumps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dumped,
past participle, past
-
dumping
present participle
-
to drop or let fall in a mass; fling down or drop heavily or suddenly.
Dump the topsoil here.
-
to empty out, as from a container, by tilting or overturning.
-
to unload or empty out (a container), as by tilting or overturning.
-
to dismiss, fire, or release from a contract.
The first baseman was dumped from the team after hitting .210 for the first half of the season.
-
Informal. to end a relationship with (someone, especially a romantic partner), especially when the decision is one-sided.
I can’t believe she waited until just after Valentine’s Day to dump me.
-
to transfer or rid oneself of suddenly and irresponsibly.
Don't dump your troubles on me!
-
Boxing Slang.
-
to knock down.
The champion was dumped twice but won the fight.
-
to lose (a match) intentionally.
a bribe to dump a fight.
-
-
Commerce.
-
to put (goods or securities) on the market in large quantities and at a low price without regard to the effect on market conditions.
-
to sell (goods) into foreign markets below cost in order to promote exports or damage foreign competition.
-
-
Computers. to print, display, or record on an output medium (the contents of a computer's internal storage or the contents of a file), often at the time a program fails.
-
Slang. to kill; murder.
There were threats to dump him if he didn't pay up.
verb (used without object)
-
dumps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dumped,
past participle, past
-
dumping
present participle
-
to fall or drop down suddenly.
-
to throw away or discard garbage, refuse, etc.
-
Commerce.
-
to offer goods for sale in large quantities at a low price.
-
to dump below-cost goods into foreign markets.
-
-
to release contents.
a sewage pipe that dumps in the ocean.
-
Informal. to complain, criticize, gossip, or tell another person one's problems.
He calls me up just to dump.
-
Slang: Vulgar. defecate.
noun
-
dumps
plural
-
an accumulation of discarded garbage, refuse, etc.
-
Also called dumpsite, dumping-ground. a place where garbage, refuse, etc., is deposited.
-
Military.
-
a collection of ammunition, stores, etc., deposited at some point, as near a battlefront, for distribution.
-
the ammunition, stores, etc., so deposited.
-
-
the act of dumping.
-
Mining.
-
a runway or embankment equipped with tripping devices, from which low-grade ore, rock, etc., are dumped.
-
the pile of ore so dumped.
-
-
Informal. a place, house, or town that is dilapidated, dirty, or disreputable.
-
(in merchandising) a bin or specially made carton in which items are displayed for sale.
Fifty copies of the best-selling paperback novel were in a dump near the checkout counter.
-
Computers. a copy of the contents of a computer's internal storage or of the contents of a file at a given instant, that is printed, displayed, or stored on an output medium.
-
Slang: Vulgar. an act of defecating; evacuation.
This photo is fantastic, except for the dog you can see taking a dump in the background.
idioms
verb
-
to drop, fall, or let fall heavily or in a mass
-
(tr) to empty (objects or material) out of a container
-
to unload, empty, or make empty (a container), as by tilting or overturning
-
informal (tr) to dispose of
-
(tr) to dispose of (waste, esp radioactive nuclear waste) in the sea or on land
-
commerce
-
to market (goods) in bulk and at low prices
-
to offer for sale large quantities of (goods) on foreign markets at low prices in order to maintain a high price in the home market and obtain a share of the foreign markets
-
-
(tr) to store (supplies, arms, etc) temporarily
-
slang (intr) to defecate
-
(tr) surfing (of a wave) to hurl a swimmer or surfer down
-
(tr) to compact (bales of wool) by hydraulic pressure
-
(tr) computing to record (the contents of part or all of the memory) on a storage device, such as magnetic tape, at a series of points during a computer run
noun
-
-
a place or area where waste materials are dumped
-
( in combination )
rubbish dump
-
-
a pile or accumulation of rubbish
-
the act of dumping
-
informal a dirty or unkempt place
-
military a place where weapons, supplies, etc, are stored
-
slang an act of defecation
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dumpsimple
-
dumpssimple
-
have dumpedperfect
-
has dumpedperfect
-
am dumpingprogressive
-
are dumpingprogressive
-
is dumpingprogressive
-
have been dumpingperfect progressive
-
has been dumpingperfect progressive
Past
-
dumpedsimple
-
had dumpedperfect
-
was dumpingprogressive
-
were dumpingprogressive
-
had been dumpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dump
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English dompen, dumpen in the sense “to fall suddenly, plunge,” from Old Norse dumpa “to thump, strike, bump”; modern senses of the transitive verb and noun are unknown before the 19th century, perhaps derive from another source, or are an independent expressive formation
Explanation
A dump is a place where trash is stored in piles and often buried underground. If you have an old bike that can't be repaired, you might take it to the dump. Some towns have dumps where residents can freely dispose of garbage, while others require people to pay for the rubbish they bring. You can also call a dump a "landfill," but dump makes sense — it comes from the verb dump, "to toss, drop, or throw away." A figurative meaning of the word is to abruptly and unkindly break off a romantic relationship with someone: "It would be so mean to dump him on his birthday."
Vocabulary lists containing dump
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:
The company—known for its giant yellow dump trucks, bulldozers and other equipment—posted a third-quarter profit of $3.29 billion, or $7.13 a share, compared with $2.3 billion, or $4.88 a share, a year earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
The researchers compare it to approximately 40 million dump trucks' worth of matter, or about 1.3 trillion one-pound burritos every second.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
They welcomed the work's completion but some are concerned the criminal gangs may return to dump waste.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The manager of the dump was arrested on Monday as part of a corruption probe.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
As Clare made his way to the dump, the haze was so thick, one would not even know he passed but for the whiny wheel on his worn-out wagon.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
While China’s technological advances—from artificial intelligence to space—have dazzled the world, much of its economy is in the dumps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Much darker and more twisty than the weepy trauma dumps “It Ends With Us” or “Reminders of Him,” “Verity” is high camp with a wink, a hair toss and just enough bite to draw blood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
People living in informal settlements built on mine waste dumps are falling ill and more "houses will crack and fall into sinkholes", he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Three of the country's worst illegal dumps are due to be cleaned up using taxpayers' money, the government has announced.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
My newest edible sidekick, Pierre the Pineapple, probably has a good two weeks of life before the flies come and Dad dumps him in the compost bin.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Dowman sees red as Arsenal dumped out, but did Arteta go too far?
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
If the waste is found dumped on private land, the owner will have to pay for its removal.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
As investors have dumped once-hot semiconductor stocks and other artificial-intelligence-linked names, shares of companies that pay relatively high dividends have taken off.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
The Milwaukee Brewers dumped the Dodgers in the first two games of the NLCS, and now the Dodgers might not need to map out a World Series rotation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Eighteen million dollars’ worth of valuable oil are dumped into the Pasig River to keep it out of Japanese hands, but things quickly spin out of control and the oil catches on fire.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
In an already tenuous industry marked by razor-thin margins, high rents and increasing costs for goods and labor, some of the Southland’s favorite beach bars and restaurants are dumping out buckets of water this month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
He pulled out his phone and recorded himself dumping fat streams of quarters into collection buckets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Read: Investors are dumping AI stocks as ‘tech wreck’ worsens.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
"We're asking people to play their part and work with us to prevent fly-tipping, and to share any information that may help us trace those responsible for dumping rubbish."
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Would this magic of yours have anything to do with the message I just got about you dumping a plate of spaghetti on Lara Van Helsing's head?”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
