bump 1 of 2

noun

ˈbəmp How to pronounce bump (audio)
Definition of bumpnext
1
as in swelling
a small rounded mass of swollen tissue that's a nasty bump on your arm where you hit the table

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in demotion
the act or an instance of bringing to a lower grade or rank the bump was punishment for insubordination

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in collision
a forceful coming together of two things I felt the bump of the other car, but there was no damage to either vehicle

Synonyms & Similar Words

bump

2 of 2

verb

as in to bang
to come into usually forceful contact with something that police officer bumped into me and should have apologized

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bump
Noun
Stribling should get a bump, especially with veteran Christian Kirk already missing practices with a calf injury. — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 The next morning, a galaxy of itchy red bumps and blotches stretched from my shoulder to my hip. — Ben Crair, New Yorker, 31 July 2026
Verb
That comes after the firm raised starting iPad and Mac prices by at least $100, including some models with price tags bumped by more than $1,000, citing a global memory crunch. — Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 Fool Me Once, released in January 2024, was on the chart for a while with 98 million views over its first 13 weeks (the cutoff point for Netflix’s all-time lists), but it has since been bumped down a few spots. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for bump
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bump
  1. swelling
  2. demotion
  3. collision
  4. bang
  5. lump
  6. firing
  7. thump
  8. collide
Noun
  • Anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen can reduce swelling and inflammation.
    — Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 29 July 2026
  • None of the patients experienced ARIA-E, which is the more severe side effect that causes brain swelling.
    — Adam Feuerstein, STAT, 28 July 2026
Definition of swelling
Noun
  • And John, after falling out with his boss and not finding anything good in Seoul, had just been rehired at his old office in Sydney, albeit with a demotion and a lower salary.
    — Min Jin Lee, New Yorker, 19 July 2026
  • There were concerns about the ripple effects of another demotion.
    — Katie Woo, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of demotion
Noun
  • This initiative aims to significantly reduce the state's high rate of wildlife-vehicle collisions, which ranks fifth nationally and contributes to the nation's highest auto insurance claims.
    — Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Officers with the Olathe Police Department were called to the area of West 159th Street and South Lone Elm Road upon reports of a head-on collision between a white SUV and a dump truck, according to a news release from Sgt.
    — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of collision
Verb
  • The game actually drew a decent spring crowd of 10,000-12,000, partially because Chesney had worked so hard at banging the drum.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
  • According to the woman’s account, Leverett was banging his head against the walls and windows the day of the shooting.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 July 2026
Definition of bang
Noun
  • The winning appetizer, though, was the aesthetically humble but nonetheless delicious jumbo lump crab cake, a mustardy affair crowned with pickled radish.
    — Connie Ogle July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • Battered metal is as crucial to his kit as conventional drum sounds, and even his tonal elements feel as malleable as wrung-out sponges or wet lumps of clay.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026
Definition of lump
Noun
  • Security camera footage from inside CHOP shows people in a Nissan Pathfinder firing gunshots at the white Jeep.
    — Sydney Brownstone, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The Jets named him interim head coach five games into the 2024 season after the firing of Robert Saleh.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of firing
Noun
  • If the offense keeps doing just enough, and Breslow finds some more thump at the deadline, baseball’s hottest team could have staying power.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Duggan Borges gestures around the studio, that thump still coming through the ceiling.
    — Laura Snapes, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026
Definition of thump
Verb
  • The two crew members — one Greek and one Danish national — died when their helicopter collided with another near the seaside area of Psatha while tackling the fire that started Friday morning.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Two firefighting helicopters collided battling wildfires west of Athens on Sunday, prompting a search-and-rescue operation for their crews in the Psatha area, Greece’s fire department said.
    — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of collide

Phrases Containing bump

Browse Nearby Words

bum (out)
bump
bumped
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bump.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bump. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bump

Nglish: Translation of bump for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All