1
: a rounded protuberance: such as
a
b
: a fleshy protuberance on the back of an animal (such as a camel, bison, or whale)
2
British
: a fit of depression or sulking
3
: a difficult, trying, or critical phase or obstacle
—often used in the phrase over the hump
humped; humping; humps
1
usually vulgar
: to copulate with
2
: to exert (oneself) vigorously
3
: to make humpbacked : hunch
Examples of hump in a Sentence
Noun
failing her A-levels has certainly given her the hump
a cloud-capped hump straddles the border separating the two countries
Verb
the farmers had to really hump to get the harvest in before the rains
the boat was really humping before the motor started to sputter all of a sudden
Recent Examples on the Web
Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Halfmoon was the start of the standard route, and is named for Halfmoon Pass, a 970-foot camel’s hump of rock that must be ascended and descended before tackling the primary North Ridge trail to the summit, then must be ascended and descended again on return to the trailhead.
—Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
No more humping every female dog anymore.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hump
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Noun
Promoting, as well as targeting, Miami-Dade County’s down payment assistance resources toward middle-income earners can get would-be buyers over the initial lump-sum hump, said Buckley.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Halfmoon was the start of the standard route, and is named for Halfmoon Pass, a 970-foot camel’s hump of rock that must be ascended and descended before tackling the primary North Ridge trail to the summit, then must be ascended and descended again on return to the trailhead.
—Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
Compounding the cacophony is a Jonny Greenwood score that veers between manic percolation—imagine a xylophone humping a coffeepot—and grandly operatic surges of synth.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
No more humping every female dog anymore.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hump
Cite this Entry
“Hump.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hump. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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