LUMPS Synonyms: 361 Similar and Opposite Words

lumps 1 of 2

noun

plural of lump

as in chunks

a small uneven mass she dumped a lump of clay on the table and started to sculpt

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as in swellings

a small rounded mass of swollen tissue I got a good-sized lump on my head from that fall

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as in tumors

an abnormal mass of tissue advised by her doctor to examine her breasts regularly for unusual lumps

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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

as in idiots

a stupid person gazed disgustedly at the lump her daughter had married

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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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lumps

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of lump

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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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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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 lumps

Noun

Can turkey tail mushrooms shrink lipomas, the soft, fatty lumps that show up under the skin of countless aging dogs? — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 25 June 2026 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. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 June 2026 Lenders will take the keys and private equity will take its lumps, as designed. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 18 June 2026 The American Breast Cancer Foundation urged men to be aware of any changes in their chest area, including nipple pain, lumps and swelling in the breast or underarm. — Doha Madani, NBC news, 10 June 2026 The question becomes whether the Blues want to bring in a reinforcement now or let their recent high draft picks take their lumps. — Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 26 May 2026 This fermentation process separates the milk into curds (the thicker lumps of cheese) and whey (the liquid portion). — Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 24 May 2026 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

Verb

Critics also say Horvath lumps together different types of ed tech and doesn’t grapple with research that supports moderate use of computers in school. — Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 31 May 2026 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

In 2023, researchers at MIT and elsewhere proposed that the bright white chunks scattered throughout Roman concrete—known as lime clasts and long dismissed as evidence of incomplete mixing—could help explain the material’s self-healing properties.

— Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 11 July 2026
Officials have said the pool most likely would need to be drained again for liner repairs after chunks of blue coating were seen floating at the surface.

— Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Definition of chunks

Noun

This microscopic roundworm lays its eggs in root tissues, causing swellings or galls to develop on infected roots.

— Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 21 June 2026
Infection is rapid, causing swellings in the lymph nodes (buboes) and leading to septicaemia and pulmonary infection.

— Matthew Binnicker, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Definition of swellings

Noun

Patients with the condition are 13 times more likely to develop neuroendocrine tumors; the goal is to catch the tumors early enough that they can be treated endoscopically, rather than surgically.

— Sarah Todd, STAT, 8 July 2026
Various types of cancer, in which malignant tumors invade surrounding tissues, contributed to between 13,000 and 20,000 deaths annually in this time frame.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026

Definition of tumors

Noun

Anthropic has already launched products for law firms and design firms; the primary losers there are software companies that hawk those services, like Harvey (law) and Figma (design).

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 9 July 2026
The blue team needs to claw back some self-respect and reassure voters that they aren’t being asked to back a bunch of losers.

— Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

Definition of losers

Verb

As though on cue, Wardrobe — my beloved, and giant, closet — shuffles over from the corner of my room, the mahogany wood groaning with the effort.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026
As the entire Qatar back line shuffles closer to the goal, Jonathan David drops off towards the penalty spot to receive the cross in space and shoot first time.

— Mark Carey, New York Times, 24 June 2026

Definition of shuffles

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lump (it)

lumps

lumps (it)

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Style

“Lumps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumps. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of lumps

noun

verb

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