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
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
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
Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2025
For example, doing light exercise while getting two liters per minute of oxygen bumps the effective altitude back up to 6,442 meters.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 15 Sep. 2025
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Why First-Class Seats Aren’t Always Out of Reach Once upon a time, travelers swapped stories about getting bumped to first class simply by showing up in a blazer, being polite, or celebrating a honeymoon.
—Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bump
Noun
The Knot anticipates a $160 million estimated bump in wedding gifting from guests and a $300 million estimated bump for local non-wedding tourism, such as retail and restaurants.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2025
For example, doing light exercise while getting two liters per minute of oxygen bumps the effective altitude back up to 6,442 meters.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
The way a Newfoundland dog carefully ducks his head to avoid getting bumped by a car trunk has captured hearts across the internet.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Why First-Class Seats Aren’t Always Out of Reach Once upon a time, travelers swapped stories about getting bumped to first class simply by showing up in a blazer, being polite, or celebrating a honeymoon.
—Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bump
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bump
Noun
-
In deer, the disease can cause fevers and swelling of the head and neck, sending infected deer to water sources.—
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
10 Sep. 2025
-
New & Noteworthy ACE Flex Comfort Compression Knee Sleeves provide compression to help relieve muscle and joint stiffness, soreness and swelling, and are recommended for mild arthritis, sprains and strains.—
Adam Mills,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Roberts likened the option to more of a reset than a demotion.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The two men haven't spoken since the wedding party demotion.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The growing number of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) also worries space sustainability experts, who warn about the increasing risk of orbital collisions.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The waveforms of those signals serve as an audio fingerprint—in this case, evidence for two black holes spiraling inward toward each other and merging in a massive collision event, sending powerful shock waves across spacetime.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This prompted an intervention from the speaker, who banged his gavel multiple times.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
When Weimers went on to give up his remaining speaking time for a moment of silence, Vice President Katarina Barley cut him off, sparking desk-banging protests from right-wing lawmakers in the chamber.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Shearer and Teplin had just announced that Witherspoon’s company Hello Sunshine bought their business when Shearer discovered a lump in her right breast.—
Eileen Finan,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
-
The cash option is a one-time, lump-sum payment that is equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.—
Detroit Free Press,
Freep.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Patel is also set to face questions on a host of other issues during his tenure at the FBI, including the firing of three senior agents who sued for reinstatement last week.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Cook sued over the firing, being granted a temporary restraining order by Judge Jia Cobb last week.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Bass-heavy tracks carry plenty of thump while vocals still sound crisp, and the companion app gives you real control over the EQ.—
Shubham Yewale,
PC Magazine,
11 Sep. 2025
-
And the thump, thump, thumping of her brother’s hands pounding a heavy bag.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The stubborn myth that Jews are too safe to be targets is colliding with a painful new reality.—
Andrew Weinstein,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Yet the morning's hopeful energy quickly collided with harsh reality.—
Sonal Nain,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bump.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bump. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share