Bump Meaning
/bʌmp/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA light blow or jolting collision.
nounThe sound of such a collision.
Sentence Examples
We tried again to bump off the politician, but couldn't do it.
I bump into her.
Does bump mapping generate more graphics load than parallax?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The car hit a large ____ in the road and the driver spilled his coffee.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I had a small ____ on my head after hitting the low wooden beam city.
Word Origin & History
From Early Modern English bump (“a shock, blow from a collision”), probably of North Germanic origin; compare Danish bump (“a thump”), Danish bumpe (“to thump”), Old Danish bumpe (“to strike with a clenched fist”), all probably of imitative origin. Apparently related to Middle English bumben, bummen (“to make a hollow noise”), Dutch bommen (“to hum, buzz”), German Low German bumsen (“to bump, push”), German bummen (“to hum, buzz”), Icelandic bumba (“drum”). More at bum, bumble. Compare also bomb.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It had upon its brow / A bump as big as a young cockerel's stone."
— c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
"Another, with the bump of order unnaturally developed, had his folios and quartos all reduced, in binding, to one size, so that they might look even on his bookshelves."
— 1902, William Blades, The Enemies of Books, 2nd edition, page 102:
"“They're getting their drugs mixed up,” she said. “If someone did a line of coke, it would be a very different size than if someone did a bump of ketamine, right? So if they're thinking it's cocaine and they do a line, they could go into a k-hole and be completely unable to move for hours. Maybe not hours, but for a while.”"
— 2019 August 9, Joshua Azizi, “Shambhala Music Festival makes harm reduction a priority”, in The Georgia Straight:
"We sing […] "God Save the Queen" done in mime and finally "Clap Hands, Here Comes Charley" to a Hawaiian rock with Phoebe doing the bump."
— 1979, Robert English, Toxic Kisses, Eden Paperbacks, page 32:
"Call me the juice and you know I'm a stunt; ride in the car with some bump in the trunk."
— 2005, “Stay Fly”, in Jordan Houston, Darnell Carlton, Paul Beauregard, Premro Smith, Marlon Goodwin, David Brown, Willie Hutchinson (lyrics), Most Known Unknown, performed by Three 6 Mafia (featuring Young Buck, 8 Ball, and MJG), Sony BMG:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The car hit a large ____ in the road and the driver spilled his coffee.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I had a small ____ on my head after hitting the low wooden beam city.