/ bʌmp; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
[ v ] bump against / into sb/sth to hit sb/sth by accident :
In the dark I bumped into a chair.
The car bumped against the kerb.
➡ note at hit
2.
[ vn ] bump sth (against / on sth) to hit sth, especially a part of your body, against or on sth :
Be careful not to bump your head on the beam when you stand up.
3.
[+ adv. / prep. ] to move across a rough surface :
[ v ]
The jeep bumped along the dirt track.
[ vn ]
The car bumped its way slowly down the drive.
4.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to move sb from one group or position to another; to remove sb from a group :
The airline apologized and bumped us up to first class.
If you are bumped off an airline because of overbooking, you are entitled to compensation.
The coach told him he had been bumped from the crew.
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PHRASAL VERBS
- bump into sb
- bump sb off
- bump sth up
■ noun
1.
[ C ] the action or sound of sth hitting a hard surface :
He fell to the ground with a bump .
We could hear loud bumps from upstairs where the children were playing.
2.
[ C ] a swelling on the body, often caused by a blow
SYN lump :
She was covered in bumps and bruises.
How did you get that bump on your forehead?
3.
[ C ] a part of a flat surface that is not even, but raised above the rest of it :
a bump in the road
—see also bumpy
4.
[ C ] a slight accident in which your vehicle hits sth
5.
the bumps [ pl. ] ( BrE ) (on a child's birthday) the act of lifting the child in the air and then putting them down on the ground, once for every year of their age :
We gave her the bumps.
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IDIOMS
see earth noun , thing
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (as a verb): imitative, perhaps of Scandinavian origin.