1
as in lumps
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 demotions
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 collisions
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 bangs
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 bumps
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 June 2026
Wheeler grinned before Hill exchanged high-fives and chest bumps with right fielder Brandon Marsh.
—
CBS News,
26 June 2026
That includes sweeping hundreds of millions of dollars out of special taxing districts, borrowing to pay for legal settlements and retroactive pay bumps, and diverting pandemic relief money away from programs and toward payroll instead.
—
A.d. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2026
The organizations also shared Luminate data on streaming bumps following the show, with Ella Langley and Parker McCollum leading the pack as their streams jumped 10 percent and 14 percent respectively the day after the ceremony.
—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
25 June 2026
The neoprene construction is soft to the touch, but cushioned enough to protect glasses from scratches and bumps.
—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
25 June 2026
From conveyor belts and baggage carts to overhead bins and taxi trunks, luggage is constantly subjected to bumps, knocks and rough handling.
—
New Atlas,
22 June 2026
At this distal end, which forms your elbow joint with your radius and ulna, are two bony bumps, called epicondyles.
—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
In fact, in the original ending, Jill literally bumps into Rhimes in an elevator before getting her big break.
—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
18 June 2026
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
The department bumps the call to a higher-priority response (Priority 1) due to the potential for violence.
—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2026
The 2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX will start at $99,995, excluding a mandatory $2,595 destination fee that bumps the price to $102,590.
—
Michael Wayland,
CNBC,
1 Jan. 2026
Epic Pass typically bumps its prices two to three times before sales end in early December.
—
Hannah Towey,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
As viewers know, her journey to get to happily ever after was filled with a lot of bumps in the road, as well as another suitor, William Ryder (Laurie Davidson).
—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 June 2026
Wheeler grinned before Hill exchanged high-fives and chest bumps with right fielder Brandon Marsh.
—
CBS News,
26 June 2026
That includes sweeping hundreds of millions of dollars out of special taxing districts, borrowing to pay for legal settlements and retroactive pay bumps, and diverting pandemic relief money away from programs and toward payroll instead.
—
A.d. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2026
The organizations also shared Luminate data on streaming bumps following the show, with Ella Langley and Parker McCollum leading the pack as their streams jumped 10 percent and 14 percent respectively the day after the ceremony.
—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
25 June 2026
The neoprene construction is soft to the touch, but cushioned enough to protect glasses from scratches and bumps.
—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
25 June 2026
From conveyor belts and baggage carts to overhead bins and taxi trunks, luggage is constantly subjected to bumps, knocks and rough handling.
—
New Atlas,
22 June 2026
At this distal end, which forms your elbow joint with your radius and ulna, are two bony bumps, called epicondyles.
—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
In fact, in the original ending, Jill literally bumps into Rhimes in an elevator before getting her big break.
—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
18 June 2026
Verb
Did join Kylian Mbappe and Ferenc Puskas as one of only three players to score a European Cup knockout-phase brace against Barcelona at Camp Nou, which bumps him up the list a bit.
—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
The department bumps the call to a higher-priority response (Priority 1) due to the potential for violence.
—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2026
The 2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX will start at $99,995, excluding a mandatory $2,595 destination fee that bumps the price to $102,590.
—
Michael Wayland,
CNBC,
1 Jan. 2026
Epic Pass typically bumps its prices two to three times before sales end in early December.
—
Hannah Towey,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumps
Noun
-
Far from lumps of rock, the trojans, along with DJ and Dinkinesh (which is the Ethiopian name for the Lucy fossil), are windows into the past, and the storytellers of the Earth's most ancient history.
-
Lenders will take the keys and private equity will take its lumps, as designed.
Noun
-
City employees allegedly took demotions or resigned to avoid a toxic work environment.
-
The cautionary tales are bottomless, from Reading and Blackburn Rovers’ respective demotions in England two seasons ago to FC Girondins de Bordeaux and ASJ Soyaux in France, who this year were forced to collapse due to structural vulnerabilities.
Noun
-
Last year, the city had 24 traffic collisions involving e-bikes, Cullen said.
-
That brutal, driving style requires her to initiate intense physical collisions on nearly every single possession.
Verb
-
When selecting the perfect of-the-moment style for you (Jane Birkin bangs?
-
Teal'c takes out some frustrations on an unlucky grunt who bangs him with a door at the start of every time loop, and O'Neill gets to (temporarily) sample the will-they side of his will-they-won't-they relationship with Carter.
Noun
-
This microscopic roundworm lays its eggs in root tissues, causing swellings or galls to develop on infected roots.
-
Infection is rapid, causing swellings in the lymph nodes (buboes) and leading to septicaemia and pulmonary infection.
Noun
-
Nonetheless, the firings were a reminder that the runway for a play caller to find his rhythm can be unforgiving.
-
The heckler's veto The wave of firings after Kirk's assassination was spurred on by pro-Trump influencers, lawmakers and Vice President JD Vance.
Noun
-
Agents yelled from every direction, and the thumps of a news helicopter overhead were deafening.
-
You’ll be thrown around in your seat, which moves in sync with the action, along with thumps in the back, splashes of water, blasts of air, smoke, and flashes of light.
Verb
-
The debris – space rocks known as meteoroids – collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA.
-
During its journey through the atmosphere over tens of miles, the asteroid collides with air molecules, and the incredible temperatures and pressure usually vaporize it.
Cite this Entry
“Bumps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumps. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
