lump

1 of 4

noun

ˈləmp 

1

: a piece or mass of indefinite size and shape

a lump of coal

a lump of clay

2

a

: aggregate, totality

taken in the lump

b

: majority

few candidates ever started with such a lump who did not get the nomination

—R. L. Strout

3

: protuberance

especially : an abnormal swelling

came to with nothing more than a lump on his head

4

: a person who is heavy and awkward

a lump of a man

also : one who is stupid or dull

5

lumps plural

a

: beatings, bruises

had taken a lot of lumps growing up in the city

b

: defeat, loss

can cheerfully take his lumps on losers, because the payout is big on the winners

—Martin Mayer

lump

2 of 4

verb (1)

lumped; lumping; lumps

transitive verb

1

: to group indiscriminately

2

: to make into lumps

also : to make lumps on or in

3

: to move noisily and clumsily

intransitive verb

1

: to become formed into lumps

2

: to move oneself noisily and clumsily

lump

3 of 4

adjective

: not divided into parts : entire

a lump sum

lump

4 of 4

verb (2)

lumped; lumping; lumps

transitive verb

: to put up with

like it or lump it

Phrases

lump in one's throat

: a constriction of the throat caused by emotion

Synonyms

Noun

• chunk
• clump
• hunk
• wad
• glob

Verb (1)

• collect
• assemble
• gather
• accumulate
• group
• amass

Examples of lump in a Sentence

Noun

turning a lump of clay into a beautiful pot

He got a lump on his head after bumping into the doorway.

Verb (1)

when we lumped all of our pocket change together, we found that we had just enough a buy a carton of ice cream

while I was on crutches, I was lumping about the house like an elephant

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Lush lumps of rock crab arrived in a flying saucer made of ice and covered with kohlrabi shaved thin as a layer of frost. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025

In particular, the bacon bits were chilled and all stuck together in one big, congealed lump along the inside of the bowl. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Sep. 2025

Verb

While some neighborhoods were good to deliver to, others weren’t, and when people took the good addresses, the rest of us were lumped with the bad ones. —Jack Hargreaves, The Dial, 9 Sep. 2025

Dave Canales kept saying the Panthers had lost four turnovers, presumably lumping in Andrew Wingard’s would-be pick six with the turnover total. —Joseph Person, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025

Adjective

Choose from two of the following: Premium choice chateaubriand cut filet mignon, lump crab cakes, and Chilean sea bass cakes, whipped potatoes with rosemary, asparagus with red peppers and sea salt butter, and eight chocolate dipped strawberries. —Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 6 May 2024

The Malaysian government has offered monthly assistance to the unemployed and lump payments to workers in certain sectors. —Matt Apuzzo, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Verb (1), and Adjective

Middle English

Verb (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1624, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

circa 1700, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1791, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lump

• a lump in one's throat
• like it or lump it
• lump it
• lump sum
• sugar lump

Rhymes for lump

• bump
• chump
• clump
• crump
• dump
• gump
• hump
• jump
• plump
• pump
• rump
• slump

Kids Definition

lump

1 of 3 noun

ˈləmp 

1

: a small uneven mass

2

: a collection or sum of units or parts : total

taken in the lump

3

: an abnormal swelling or growth

lump

2 of 3 adjective

: not divided into parts : whole

a lump sum

lump

3 of 3 verb

1

: to group together

2

: to move noisily and clumsily

3

: to form into a lump

Medical Definition

lump

noun

ˈləmp 

1

: a piece or mass of indefinite size and shape

2

: an abnormal mass or swelling

presenting as a neck lump