I. bump 1 S3 /bʌmp/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: From the sound ]
1 . [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] to hit or knock against something
bump against
I ran after him, bumping against people in my hurry.
bump into
Tim was a clumsy boy, always bumping into the furniture.
bump something on something
She bumped her arm on the table.
The roof was so low he bumped his head (=his head hit the roof) .
2 . [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move up and down as you move forward, especially in a vehicle:
A police car bumped down the track.
bump along
The plane was bumping along the runway.
3 . [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to push or pull something somewhere in an irregular or unsteady way:
Flora was bumping her bags down the steps.
4 . [transitive] informal to move someone or something into a different class or group, or to remove them from a class or group altogether:
The flight was overbooked, and Dad was the first one to be bumped.
bump somebody up to/out of/from etc something
The reforms bumped many families off the state-provided health care list.
5 . [transitive] to move a radio or television programme to a different time:
‘Married with Children’ will be bumped from Sundays to Saturdays.
bump into somebody phrasal verb
to meet someone who you know, when you were not expecting to SYN run into :
I bumped into Jean in town.
bump somebody ↔ off phrasal verb informal
to kill someone
bump something ↔ up phrasal verb
to suddenly increase something by a large amount:
Prices were bumped up by 10 percent last week.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ to hit something accidentally
▪ hit :
I’ve got a bad bruise where I hit my leg against the table.
|
The car hit a tree.
▪ bump to hit a part of your body against something, especially because you do not see or notice it:
Careful you don’t bump your head – the ceiling’s very low.
▪ bang/bash to hit something hard, so that you hurt yourself or damage something:
He banged into the car in front.
|
I bashed my knee climbing over a gate.
|
She fell and bashed her chin on the ground.
▪ stub to hit your toe against something and hurt it:
I stubbed my toe on the piano leg.
II. bump 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . an area of skin that is raised because you have hit it on something ⇨ lump :
She has a bump on the back of her head.
He had a few injuries, mostly bumps and bruises.
2 . a small raised area on a surface:
The car hit a bump on the road.
⇨ ↑ speed bump
3 . the sound or sudden movement of something hitting a hard surface:
We heard a bump in the next room.
fall/sit down etc with a bump
Rose fell, landing with a bump.
4 . informal a small accident in which your car hits something but you are not hurt
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ injury damage to part of your body caused by an accident or an attack:
The passengers were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
▪ wound an injury, especially a deep cut in your skin made by a knife, bullet, or bomb:
He died of a gunshot wound to the head.
▪ cut a small injury made when a sharp object cuts your skin:
Blood was running from a cut on his chin.
▪ bruise a dark mark on your skin that you get when you fall or get hit:
Jack often comes home from playing rugby covered in bruises.
▪ graze/scrape a small injury that marks your skin or breaks the surface slightly:
She fell off her bike and got a few grazes on her legs and knees.
▪ gash a long deep cut:
He had a deep gash across his forehead.
▪ bump an area of skin that is swollen because you have hit it against something:
How did you get that bump on your head?
▪ sprain an injury to your ↑ ankle , ↑ wrist , knee etc, caused by suddenly twisting it:
It’s a slight sprain – you should rest your ankle for a week.
▪ strain an injury to a muscle caused by stretching it or using it too much:
a muscle strain in his neck
▪ fracture a crack or broken part in a bone:
a hip fracture