1
as in chunks
a small uneven mass
she dumped a lump of clay on the table and started to sculpt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in swellings
a small rounded mass of swollen tissue
I got a good-sized lump on my head from that fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in tumors
an abnormal mass of tissue
advised by her doctor to examine her breasts regularly for unusual lumps
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4
as in defeats
failure to win a contest
you can't win all the time, so learn to take your lumps in stride
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in idiots
a stupid person
gazed disgustedly at the lump her daughter had married
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in hulks
a big clumsy often slow-witted person
standing next to those ballet dancers, with their graceful way of moving, I felt like a lump
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in collects
to bring together in one body or place
when we lumped all of our pocket change together, we found that we had just enough a buy a carton of ice cream
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2
as in shuffles
to move heavily or clumsily
while I was on crutches, I was lumping about the house like an elephant
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lumps
Emma Ashe, Southern Living, 15 May 2026
The Huskies, after winning the Big East championship and playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 24 years, took some losses in the transfer portal and took their lumps in the early season southern and western swings, losing 10 of their first 12 games.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
Other recommendations from the report include allocating more funds for speed lumps and the quick-build program, as well as hiring staff to coordinate a citywide Safe Routes to School program, and exploring a citywide ban on right turns on red lights.
—Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026
But the lumps weren’t caused by poor hygiene or weight.
—Xitlalic Montelongo, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
Type 1 looks like hard lumps or small pebbles, and suggests constipation.
—Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Fears of sickness, of strange lumps and unexplained bleeding.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
And a reshaped district in parts of western Virginia lumps together three Democratic-leaning college towns to offset other Republican voters.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Traoré took his lumps early but started and excelled down the stretch.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
Joan Morris, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
Advertisement Breaking it down Artificial intelligence is an umbrella-term for several different technologies, from autonomous vehicles to chatbots—and the database lumps these together without a comprehensive structure.
—Harry Booth, Time, 19 Jan. 2026
Noun
Adding the grits to the pot slowly while stirring is key to the dish's creaminess and no lumps.
—Emma Ashe, Southern Living, 15 May 2026
The Huskies, after winning the Big East championship and playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 24 years, took some losses in the transfer portal and took their lumps in the early season southern and western swings, losing 10 of their first 12 games.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
Other recommendations from the report include allocating more funds for speed lumps and the quick-build program, as well as hiring staff to coordinate a citywide Safe Routes to School program, and exploring a citywide ban on right turns on red lights.
—Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026
But the lumps weren’t caused by poor hygiene or weight.
—Xitlalic Montelongo, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
Type 1 looks like hard lumps or small pebbles, and suggests constipation.
—Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Fears of sickness, of strange lumps and unexplained bleeding.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
And a reshaped district in parts of western Virginia lumps together three Democratic-leaning college towns to offset other Republican voters.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Traoré took his lumps early but started and excelled down the stretch.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
Most lumps such as these are noncancerous lipomas, or fatty tumors, and a decision on whether to remove them is based on whether the lumps interfere with movements or threaten other issues.
—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
Advertisement Breaking it down Artificial intelligence is an umbrella-term for several different technologies, from autonomous vehicles to chatbots—and the database lumps these together without a comprehensive structure.
—Harry Booth, Time, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumps
Noun
-
Maybe a whole roast chicken appeared, or its meat was folded into a gooey casserole with a few peas and carrot chunks.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 May 2026
-
Aim for at least an hour of daily activity, even if it’s broken up into shorter chunks throughout the day, Drake recommended.—
Jamie Ducharme,
Health,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Infection is rapid, causing swellings in the lymph nodes (buboes) and leading to septicaemia and pulmonary infection.—
Matthew Binnicker,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Through this technology, doctors can visualize a highly detailed reconstruction of tumors and surrounding anatomical structures—including blood vessels, lymph nodes and nerves—before entering the operating room.—
Jose Luis Gonzalez Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
The clinical trial, led by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, tested the drug in 168 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer whose tumors had mutations in the RAS gene.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Crying babies in hippie attire accompany John’s discontent with the counterculture’s retreat from politics after multiple defeats in the ’70s.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
-
The defeats have been stinging.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
All of those are better options than a public rest stop where a bunch of other idiots are just trying to stretch their legs and empty their bladders.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Freedom from screech No one wants to sit near idiots who just want to scream about their love of their team and provoke fans into fights, like the one Monday between Yankees and Rangers fans at Globe Life Field.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Because soil can absorb only so much water at once, what is not soaked up collects on the surface where it's more readily evaporated.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
-
The pharmaceutical industry is negotiating the reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Act Fee, which outlines the fees the FDA collects from drugmakers to fund its reviews.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Angelica Peebles,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
At the sound of morning prayers, an older Clarissa awakens from this dream and shuffles out to her lawn, where the leafy bush has been replaced with the industrial skyline of Lagos.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But in the dark, Yara was just trying their best not to trip over young clumps of prickly pear.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
Sunspots are cooler, darker regions of the sun’s surface that form when clumps of its magnetic field well up from deep within the sun.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lumps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumps. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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