clump

noun

\ ˈkləmp

Definition of clump

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a group of things clustered together a clump of bushes

2 : a compact mass

3 : a heavy tramping sound

clump

verb

clumped; clumping; clumps

Definition of clump (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to walk or move clumsily and noisily

2 : to form clumps

transitive verb

: to arrange in or cause to form clumps

Other Words from clump Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about clump

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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

Restive with its course, the river chews at its banks, sending clumps of wildflowers into the water. — Christopher Solomon, New York Times, "Exploring a Timeless Wilderness, Before the Drilling Begins," 13 Sep. 2019 To create the clouds, Del Valle, Lozano and others taped white balloons together into misshapen clumps and covered them with white fluff. — Bianca Sanchez, chicagotribune.com, "These $5 fitness classes in Pilsen are served with a side of social activism," 17 Aug. 2019 Divide crowded clumps of summer-flowering perennials such as aster and daylily. — Thad Orr, Sunset, "Your Essential Gardening To-Do List for April," 22 Jan. 2018 Due to the abnormal misfolding, naturally occurring alpha-synuclein proteins gather in clumps killing brain cells. — Mike Oliver | Moliver@al.com, al, "I hope this will be my obituary," 31 July 2019 It was originally called Blue Mountain, a bare hill with clumps of brush like chaparral, the center of the Mexican-era Rancho San Miguel, owned by Jose de Jesus Noe. — Carl Nolte, SFChronicle.com, "Need an escape in San Francisco? A refuge beckons where you can get away from it all," 3 Aug. 2019 Open areas of clear water mix in with clumps of marsh grass. — Peter Marteka, courant.com, "A trip to a Kent preserve Monet might have painted," 2 Aug. 2019 Her brain was shriveled and filled with clumps of proteins—which scientists later identified as amyloid beta and tau. — Katherine Ellen Foley, Quartz, "There are a lot of promising blood tests for Alzheimer’s—here’s how to keep track," 1 Aug. 2019 Use your fingers to quickly press the butter and fat into the flour until flattened and the mixture resembles coarse meal with ragged clumps. — Los Angeles Times, "Duck fat: the magic ingredient you didn’t know your peach pie needed," 27 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

With Lewy body disease, the proliferation of a protein, which when clumped together are called Lewy bodies. — Mike Oliver | Moliver@al.com, al, "Hi I’m Louie. Are you Lewy? A proposal for a Disney duck," 7 Sep. 2019 Healthy, beautiful, hydrated, and clumped for the gods is the name of the game with Pattern. — Jihan Forbes, Allure, "We Tried Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross, a Hair-Care Line for 3B to 4C Curls," 3 Sep. 2019 The younger, more radical demonstrators remained, typing furiously into their phones or clumping together for muttered consultations. — Megan K. Stack, The New Yorker, "Bravery and Nihilism Amid the Protests in Hong Kong," 31 Aug. 2019 While everyone makes amyloid, in some, the protein is produced in abnormally copious amounts that clump together and form plaques in the brain, which experts believe start to strangle nerves and sever their critical connections to each other. — Alice Park, Time, "A New Alzheimer's Blood Test Proved 94% Accurate in Finding Brain Changes Related to the Disease," 1 Aug. 2019 Serious misconduct has ensnared both major parties, but conduct hasn’t seemed to worsen over time: Unusually corrupt administrations have been spaced, not clumped. — James M. Banner Jr., Time, "Corruption, Cover-Ups and the Shocking Presidential History to Remember as Robert Mueller Testifies," 22 July 2019 Crow says that it is designed to be used to break up ingredients that may be clumping around the blade. — Becky Krystal, Twin Cities, "Puree, liquefy, crush: How to choose and use a blender," 18 July 2019 Its shell causes particles to clump together and settle to the bottom. — National Geographic, "How pigeons landed in cities, and more breakthroughs," 12 June 2019 Cells with the Arc gene crank out proteins that clump into capsids. — Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, "State of Science: Neurons Are Surprising Researchers With Unexpected Abilities," 15 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'clump.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.