bumper-to-bumper

adjective

bump·​er-to-bump·​er ˈbəm-pər-tə-ˈbəm-pər How to pronounce bumper-to-bumper (audio)
: marked by long closed lines of cars

Examples of bumper-to-bumper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And for all his attention on the highway, which doubles as a parking lot for the shore and can be bumper-to-bumper or driven at racetrack speeds, Shane thinks the answer could lie away from the land. Jason Kravarik, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2025 As the bumper-to-bumper traffic on roads leading to and from Laguna Beach attest, the scenic town is a huge draw for visitors. Daniella Walsh, Oc Register, 28 July 2025 The bridge buckled under bumper-to-bumper traffic just after 6 p.m., plunging cars, trucks and people into the Mississippi River 64 feet below. Nick Woltman, Twin Cities, 25 July 2025 Social media videos and eyewitness accounts this week have shown bumper-to-bumper traffic on main roads out of Tehran as people attempted to leave the city. Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for bumper-to-bumper

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bumper-to-bumper was in 1925

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bumper-to-bumper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumper-to-bumper. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

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