speed bump

noun

: a low raised ridge across a roadway (as in a parking lot) to limit vehicle speed

Examples of speed bump in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images The stock market battled back from lows in yesterday's session, closing only modestly lower as investors weighed concerns that an artificial intelligence slowdown could be a speed bump for Wall Street. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

Charles Huff’s solid start at Memphis hit a speed bump in the second half Saturday at Boise State. — Antonio Morales, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

While the former babysitter hiccup is ostensibly the obstacle for Emma and Charlie’s love story, Emma gets over it pretty quickly, and that speed bump is a little too contrived and minor. — Katie Walsh, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

None of it is especially difficult, but collectively it can be perceived as quite a speed bump. — New Atlas, 5 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for speed bump

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

Kids Definition

speed bump

noun

: a low raised ridge across a roadway (as in a parking lot) to limit vehicle speed