Lump

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ÊŒmp

Origin

Middle English lumpe. Confer German Lumpen ("rag") and Lump ("ragamuffin")

Full definition of lump

Noun

1. Something that protrudes, sticks out, or sticks together; a cluster or blob; a mound, hill, or group.Stir the gravy until there are no more lumps.a lump of coal; a lump of clay; a lump of cheese
2. A group, set, or unit.The money arrived all at once as one big lump sum payment.
3. A small, shaped mass of sugar, typically about a teaspoonful.Do you want one lump or two with your coffee?
4. A dull or lazy person.Don't just sit there like a lump.
5. (informal, as plural) A beating or verbal abuse.He's taken his lumps over the years.
• 1994, Robert J. McMahon, The cold war on the periphery: the United States, India, and Pakistan, Komer admitted that the United States would probably suffer "short term lumps" as a result of Johnson's brusque decision.
6. A projection beneath the breech end of a gun barrel.

Derived terms

• lumpectomy
• lump in one’s throat
• lumpy
• lump-sun

Verb

1. To treat as a single unit; to group together.People tend to lump turtles and tortoises together, when in fact they are different creatures.

Anagrams

• plum