Word Study
bump
CIDE DICTIONARY
bump, v. t. [Cf. W. pwmp round mass, pwmpiaw to thump, bang, and E. bum, v. i., boom to roar.].
To strike, as with or against anything large or solid; to thump; as, to bump the head against a wall. [1913 Webster]
bump, v. i.
To come in violent contact with something; to thump. Southey. [1913 Webster]
bump, n. [From Bump to strike, to thump.].
- A thump; a heavy blow. [1913 Webster]
- A swelling or prominence, resulting from a bump or blow; a protuberance. [1913 Webster]"It had upon its brow
A bump as big as a young cockerel's stone." [1913 Webster] - One of the protuberances on the cranium which are associated with distinct faculties or affections of the mind; as, the bump of “veneration;” the bump of “acquisitiveness.” [1913 Webster]
- The act of striking the stern of the boat in advance with the prow of the boat following. [1913 Webster]
bump, v. i. [See Boom to roar.].
To make a loud, heavy, or hollow noise, as the bittern; to boom. [1913 Webster]
"As a bittern bumps within a reed." [1913 Webster]
bump, n.
The noise made by the bittern. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
bump, n., v., & adv.
--n.
1 a dull-sounding blow or collision.
2 a swelling or dent caused by this.
3 an uneven patch on a road, field, etc.
4 Phrenol. any of various prominences on the skull thought to indicate different mental faculties.
5 (in narrow-river races where boats make a spaced start one behind another) the point at which a boat begins to overtake (and usu. touches) the boat ahead, thereby defeating it.
6 Aeron. a an irregularity in an aircraft's motion. b a rising air current causing this.
--v.
1 a tr. hit or come against with a bump. b intr. (of two objects) collide.
2 intr. (foll. by against, into) hit with a bump; collide with.
3 tr. (often foll. by against, on) hurt or damage by striking (bumped my head on the ceiling; bumped the car while parking).
4 intr. (usu. foll. by along) move or travel with much jolting (we bumped along the road).
5 tr. (in a boat-race) gain a bump against.
6 tr. US displace, esp. by seniority.
--adv. with a bump; suddenly; violently.
--n.
1 a dull-sounding blow or collision.
2 a swelling or dent caused by this.
3 an uneven patch on a road, field, etc.
4 Phrenol. any of various prominences on the skull thought to indicate different mental faculties.
5 (in narrow-river races where boats make a spaced start one behind another) the point at which a boat begins to overtake (and usu. touches) the boat ahead, thereby defeating it.
6 Aeron. a an irregularity in an aircraft's motion. b a rising air current causing this.
--v.
1 a tr. hit or come against with a bump. b intr. (of two objects) collide.
2 intr. (foll. by against, into) hit with a bump; collide with.
3 tr. (often foll. by against, on) hurt or damage by striking (bumped my head on the ceiling; bumped the car while parking).
4 intr. (usu. foll. by along) move or travel with much jolting (we bumped along the road).
5 tr. (in a boat-race) gain a bump against.
6 tr. US displace, esp. by seniority.
--adv. with a bump; suddenly; violently.
Idiom
bump into colloq. meet by chance. bump off sl. murder. bump up colloq. increase (prices etc.).
Etymology
16th c., imit.: perh. f. Scand.
THESAURUS
bump
CAT, abase, abasement, ability, aerospace, aerosphere, air hole, air pocket, airspace, appulse, aptness, assassinate, assault, bang, bang into, bear, bear upon, bearing, bent, bilge, blain, bleb, blister, blob, blow, bob, bobble, boil, boost, boot, boss, bounce, bow, break, brunt, bubble, buck, buffet, bulb, bulge, bull, bulla, bulldoze, bulldozing, bulling, bump against, bump into, bump off, bunch, bunion, bunt, burl, burst, bust, butt, butt against, button, cahot, caliber, can, cannon, capability, capacity, carambole, carbuncle, carom, carom into, cashier, casting down, ceiling, chance, chatter, chine, chink, chuckhole, clap, clash, click, clink, clop, clump, clunk, collide, collision, colophon, come across, come into collision, concavity, concuss, concussion, condyle, confront each other, convex, convexity, corn, crack, crack up, crack-up, cram, crash, crash into, crosswind, crowd, crump, crunch, cyst, dactylogram, dactylograph, dash into, debase, debasement, defrock, degradation, degrade, degrading, dement, demote, demotion, dent, deplume, depluming, depose, deprive, destroy, didder, dig, dilatation, dilation, dint, disbar, discharge, disemploy, disgrade, disgrading, dismiss, dispatch, displace, displume, displuming, distension, dither, do away with, do in, dowel, dower, downgrade, downgrading, dowry, drive, drum out, dull thud, ear, edema, elbow, eliminate, embossment, empty space, encounter, endowment, equipment, excrescence, execute, expel, faculty, fall foul of, falter, favorable wind, fingerprint, fire, flair, flange, flap, flick, flop, flump, fog, footmark, footprint, footstep, force, forte, fossil footprint, foul, front, furlough, furuncle, gall, genius, gift, give the ax, give the gate, gnarl, goad, grimace, hammering, handle, have an ague, head, head wind, high-pressure area, hill, hit, hit against, hole, humble, humbling, hump, hunch, hurt, hurtle, hustle, ice, ichnite, ichnolite, impact, impinge, impingement, impress, impression, imprint, indent, indentation, indention, instinct, intumescence, ionosphere, jab, jactitate, jam, jar, jerk, jetstream, jig, jigget, jiggle, jog, joggle, jolt, jostle, jounce, jump, kick, kick upstairs, kill, knack, knob, knock, knock against, knot, knur, knurl, lay off, let go, let out, light, lip, liquidate, long suit, loop, low-pressure area, lower, luck, lump, make redundant, makings, mauling, meet, meeting, metier, mole, mountain, mudhole, murder, natural endowment, natural gift, nevus, nub, nubbin, nubble, nudge, onslaught, overcast, pad, papilloma, parts, pat, patter, paw print, pawmark, peg, pension off, percuss, percussion, pile drive, pimple, pitapat, pitter-patter, plump, plunk, pock, pocket, poke, pop, potential, pothole, power, powers, press, pressure, print, prod, protuberance, pug, pugmark, punch, push, pustule, put away, quake, qualification, quaver, quiver, ram, ram down, ramming, rap, rattle, read out of, reduce, reduction, release, remove, replace, report, retire, rib, rictus, ridge, ring, rising, roughness, rub out, run, run across, run against, run into, rut, sack, seal, sebaceous cyst, separate forcibly, shake, shiver, shock, shoulder, shove, shudder, sideswipe, sigil, signet, slam, slam into, slap, slat, sledgehammering, smack, smack into, smash, smash into, smash up, smash-up, smashing, soup, space, speciality, spine, splat, stamp, step, stratosphere, stress, strike, strike against, strip, strip of rank, stripping of rank, strong flair, strong point, stud, stumble, style, substratosphere, superannuate, surplus, suspend, swap, swell, swelling, swollenness, tab, tail wind, talent, talents, tamp, tap, the goods, the stuff, thrust, thrusting, thud, thumbmark, thumbprint, thump, thwack, tic, tick, tinkle, tremble, tremor, tropopause, troposphere, trough, tubercle, tubercule, tumble, tumefaction, tumescence, tumidity, tumor, tunk, turbulence, turgescence, turgescency, turgidity, turn, turn off, turn out, twitch, twitter, unfrock, verruca, vesicle, vestige, vibrate, visibility, visibility zero, wale, wallop, wart, waste, welt, wen, whack, wham, whap, what it takes, whomp, whop, wipe out, wobbleROGET THESAURUS
bump
Convexity
N convexity, prominence, projection, swelling, gibbosity, bilge, bulge, protuberance, protrusion, camber, cahot, thank-ye-ma'am, swell, intumescence, tumour, tumor, tubercle, tuberosity, excrescence, hump, hunch, bunch, boss, embossment, hub, hubble, tooth, knob, elbow, process, apophysis, condyle, bulb, node, nodule, nodosity, tongue, dorsum, bump, clump, sugar loaf, bow, mamelon, molar, belly, corporation, pot belly, gut, withers, back, shoulder, lip, flange, pimple, zit, wen, wheel, papula, pustule, pock, proud flesh, growth, sarcoma, caruncle, corn, wart, pappiloma, furuncle, polypus, fungus, fungosity, exostosis, bleb, blister, blain, boil, airbubble, blob, papule, verruca, papilla, nipple, teat, tit, titty, boob, knocker, pap, breast, dug, mammilla, proboscis, nose, neb, beak, snout, nozzle, schnoz, peg, button, stud, ridge, rib, jutty, trunnion, snag, cupola, dome, arch, balcony, eaves, pilaster, relief, relievo, cameo, bassorilievo, mezzorilevo, altorivievo, low relief, bas relief, high relief, hill, cape, promontory, mull, forehead, foreland, point of land, mole, jetty, hummock, ledge, spur, naze, ness, convex, prominent, protuberant, projecting, bossed, embossed, bossy, nodular, bunchy, clavate, clavated, claviform, hummocky, moutonne, mammiliform, papulous, papilose, hemispheric, bulbous, bowed, arched, bold, bellied, tuberous, tuberculous, tumous, cornute, odontoid, lentiform, lenticular, gibbous, club shaped, hubby, hubbly, knobby, papillose, saddle-shaped, selliform, subclavate, torose, ventricose, verrucose, salient, in relief, raised, repousse, bloated, (expanded).Impulse
N impulse, sudden thought, impromptu, improvisation, inspiration, flash, spurt, improvisatore, creature of impulse, extemporaneous, impulsive, indeliberate, snap, improvised, improvisate, improvisatory, unpremeditated, unmeditated, improvise, unprompted, unguided, natural, unguarded, spontaneous, instinctive, extempore, extemporaneously, offhand, impromptu, a limproviste, improviso, on the spur of the moment, on the spur of the occasion, impulse, impulsion, impetus, momentum, push, pulsion, thrust, shove, jog, jolt, brunt, booming, boost, throw, explosion, propulsion, percussion, concussion, collision, occursion, clash, encounter, cannon, carambole, appulse, shock, crash, bump, impact, elan, charge, beating, blow, dint, stroke, knock, tap, rap, slap, smack, pat, dab, fillip, slam, bang, hit, whack, thwack, cuff, squash, dowse, swap, whap, punch, thump, pelt, kick, punce, calcitration, ruade, arietation, cut, thrust, lunge, yerk, carom, carrom, clip, jab, plug, sidewinder, sidewipe, sideswipe, hammer, sledge hammer, mall, maul, mallet, flail, ram, rammer, battering ram, monkey, pile-driving engine, punch, bat, cant hook, cudgel, ax, dynamics, seismometer, accelerometer, earthquake detector, impelling, impulsive, impellent, booming, dynamic, dynamical, impelled, a hit, a very palpable hit.For further exploring for "bump" in Webster Dictionary Online