clump

1 of 2

noun

1
: a group of things clustered together
a clump of bushes
2
: a compact mass
3
: a heavy tramping sound
clumpy adjective

clump

2 of 2

verb

clumped; clumping; clumps

intransitive verb

1
: to walk or move clumsily and noisily
2
: to form clumps

transitive verb

: to arrange in or cause to form clumps

Examples of clump in a Sentence

Noun There is a clump of bushes at the edge of the field. I could hear the clump of his footsteps as he came down the stairs. Verb The virus clumps the cells together. a child clumping around the house in her father's oversized boots
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The denser clumps pulled in more material and grew larger. Liz Kruesi, Quanta Magazine, 4 Mar. 2024 Kefir is made by fermenting milk with kefir grains — living colonies of yeasts and bacteria that almost look like little clumps of cauliflower. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2024 To play the long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, Bening mixes in an astringent clump of salt. Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 The mice that produced Xist formed its hallmark protein clumps and, when triggered, developed lupus-like autoimmunity at levels similar to females, the team concluded. TIME, 2 Feb. 2024 But bizarrely, recent research suggests that even rudimentary clumps of nonbrain cells—from the skin or the heart, for instance—can remember experiences and act on their knowledge. Laura Helmuth, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024 All hellebores form tight clumps, but species differ in their manner of growth. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2024 Our special spot was under a clump of three Coconut Palm trees on the beach at 14th Street. Allen Lockshin, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 This latest research focused on why the microscopic clumps form in the first place, particularly at very fine grind levels. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 6 Dec. 2023
Verb
Gravity likes things to clump, but the early universe at the time of the Big Bang in space was very, very uniform. Quanta Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 No feathers were poking out of the fabric, all the seams were intact, and the down was not clumped and lumpy in the squares. Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2024 But other types of dark matter could clump differently, resulting in a more even distribution of starlight. Dennis Overbye, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024 This change can cause cells to clump together, leading to clots and blockages in the blood vessels, starving tissues of oxygen. Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 8 Dec. 2023 If mixture is clumping, add remaining ¼ cup of milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to loosen. 4. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023 The misshapen cells then clump together and block the flow of oxygen to the organs, which causes extreme pain. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 Nov. 2023 According to computer simulations, cold dark matter would clump easily to form the large-scale patterns astronomers see in the sky. Dennis Overbye, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2024 Cons Cleaning is a little tricky, and the bristles clumped together while wet. Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 3 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clump.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably from Low German klump

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1665, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of clump was circa 1586

Dictionary Entries Near clump

Cite this Entry

“Clump.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clump. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

clump

1 of 2 noun
1
: a group of things clustered together
a clump of bushes
2
: a cluster or lump of something
3
: a heavy tramping sound
clumpy adjective

clump

2 of 2 verb
1
: to walk or move clumsily and noisily
2
: to form or cause to form clumps

Medical Definition

clump

1 of 2 noun
: a clustered mass of particles (as bacteria or blood cells) compare agglutination

clump

2 of 2 intransitive verb
: to form clumps

transitive verb

: to arrange in or cause to form clumps
the serum clumps the bacteria

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