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
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in defeats
failure to win a contest
you can't win all the time, so learn to take your lumps in stride
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in idiots
a stupid person
gazed disgustedly at the lump her daughter had married
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shuffles
to move heavily or clumsily
while I was on crutches, I was lumping about the house like an elephant
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 lumps
Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2025
These lumps typically develop in areas of the body where the skin rubs together, and can be recurrent.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The lumps, the rough edges, the contradictions — that’s where the real flavor is.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Williams flashed, but the rookie took his lumps and the Bears finished 5-12, firing head coach Matt Eberflus after a 4-8 start.
—Adam Coleman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
The Dolphins’ offense and defense both took their lumps against the Super Bowl-contending Lions at Wednesday’s first session.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
William Knowlden, then 11 years old, was riding his bike across the lumps and bumps of the landfill.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
Yet senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk recently took one of those pallid lumps and coaxed utter brilliance from it.
—Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Aug. 2025
Stay away from any watermelons that are shiny, unevenly shaped, or have visible damage, including bruises, cuts, soft spots, bulges, or lumps.
—Brittany Poulson, Verywell Health, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
Morgan willing to take lumps with rookie kicker While Canales has been lukewarm in his comments about rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, Morgan offered a more polished endorsement on Thursday.
—Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2025
These lumps typically develop in areas of the body where the skin rubs together, and can be recurrent.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The lumps, the rough edges, the contradictions — that’s where the real flavor is.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Williams flashed, but the rookie took his lumps and the Bears finished 5-12, firing head coach Matt Eberflus after a 4-8 start.
—Adam Coleman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
The Dolphins’ offense and defense both took their lumps against the Super Bowl-contending Lions at Wednesday’s first session.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
William Knowlden, then 11 years old, was riding his bike across the lumps and bumps of the landfill.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
Yet senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk recently took one of those pallid lumps and coaxed utter brilliance from it.
—Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Aug. 2025
Stay away from any watermelons that are shiny, unevenly shaped, or have visible damage, including bruises, cuts, soft spots, bulges, or lumps.
—Brittany Poulson, Verywell Health, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumps
Noun
-
Pastors in the African Methodist Episcopal Church were giving up chunks of their salaries to colleagues who lost churches in the area.—
Angele Latham,
The Tennessean,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Ship sports other battle scars as well; several chunks are missing near its base, which looks a bit like the ear of a dog that lost a fight.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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
-
Cancer Cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow and multiply uncontrollably, forming tumors.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Scientists are hailing promising breakthroughs in the fight against cancer, with one new therapy appearing to kill tumors without damaging healthy flesh.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Interestingly, her three defeats at the grand slams this year have come at the hands of American opponents.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Think about athletes who train for years, face setbacks, injuries and defeats, yet continue pushing toward their goals.—
Aurelien Mangano,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That's right, thanks to the one and only Taylor Swift for hopping on and deciding to talk with two complete idiots that don't know anything about the music industry.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
-
This doesn't mean the Furons are idiots who got lucky, though.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
As the title opens, Stapleton collects his third entry on the list.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Astronauts get most of their water from an advanced water recycling system that collects and purifies wastewater.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Because global air travel shuffles millions of people around the world daily, an outbreak of a very contagious disease anywhere can become a threat everywhere.—
Amy E. Stambach,
The Conversation,
12 Aug. 2025
-
With Noni Madueke doubled up on out wide, Zubimendi shuffles backwards to receive the pass, and then fires a pass into Martin Odegaard, breaking the first two lines of the opposition’s 4-4-2 defensive block.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
One study uses a new astrophysical computer simulation that models turbulence within the cloud, causing fragmentation into smaller, star-forming clumps.—
Luke Keller,
Space.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Continue propagating mature clumps by division in spring.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lumps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumps. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share