1
: a brimming cup or glass
2
: something unusually large
1
: unusually large
a bumper crop
2
1
: a device for absorbing shock or preventing damage (as in collision)
specifically
: a bar at either end of an automobile
2
: one that bumps
3
: a brief interval on radio or television filled with music, video shots, or voice-overs that marks a break between a program and a commercial
Examples of bumper in a Sentence
Adjective
We had a bumper crop of tomatoes this year.
it's been a bumper year for movies aimed at intelligent adults
Noun (2)
cars have bumpers to protect them from damage in minor collisions
Recent Examples on the Web
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
As with other good car designs that endured well beyond their 1960s-era prime, the Type 14 eventually became encumbered by massive rubber bumpers and oversized taillamps by 1973, though even these later models retain their charm.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2025
Gone were the dark bars and cigar dens, replaced postwar by suitably mid-century alleys with shiny chrome bumper rails.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 24 Sep. 2025
The loungers also come with crib bumpers, which are banned by federal law for a high risk of causing breathing obstruction that can result in injury or death.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bumper
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Noun
Week 1 cracked the passport open with a bumper in Brazil; this second overseas game of 2025 has similar star magnetism, as Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to face Justin Jefferson’s Minnesota Vikings.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
As with other good car designs that endured well beyond their 1960s-era prime, the Type 14 eventually became encumbered by massive rubber bumpers and oversized taillamps by 1973, though even these later models retain their charm.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2025
Gone were the dark bars and cigar dens, replaced postwar by suitably mid-century alleys with shiny chrome bumper rails.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 24 Sep. 2025
The loungers also come with crib bumpers, which are banned by federal law for a high risk of causing breathing obstruction that can result in injury or death.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bumper
Cite this Entry
“Bumper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumper. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bumper
1 of 2 adjective
bum·per
ˈbəm-pər 
: unusually large or fine
a bumper crop
bumper
2 of 2 noun
bump·er
ˈbəm-pər
: a device for absorbing shock or preventing damage (as in collision)
especially
: a bar at the front or back of a motor vehicle
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