a piece or mass of solid matter without regular shape or of no particular shape: a lump of coal.
a protuberance or swelling: a blow that raised a lump on his head.
an aggregation, collection, or mass; clump: All the articles were piled in a great lump.
Also called lump of sugar. a small block of granulated sugar, designed for sweetening hot coffee, tea, etc.: How many lumps do you take in your coffee?
majority; plurality; multitude: The great lump of voters are still undecided.
lumps,Informal. harsh criticism, punishment, or defeat: The new theory came in for some lumps when other scholars heard of it.
Informal. a heavy, clumsy, and usually stupid person.
adjective
in the form of a lump or lumps: lump sugar.
made up of a number of items taken together; not separated or considered separately: The debts were paid in one lump sum.
verb (used with object)
to unite into one aggregation, collection, or mass (often followed by together): We lumped the reds and blues together.
to deal with, handle, consider, etc., in the lump or mass: to lump unrelated matters indiscriminately.
to make into a lump or lumps: to lump dough before shaping it into loaves.
to raise into or cover with lumps: a plow lumping the moist earth.
verb (used without object)
to form or raise a lump or lumps: Stir the gravy so that it doesn't lump.
to move heavily and awkwardly: The big oaf lumped along beside me.
Idioms for lump
get / take one's lumps, to receive or endure hardship, punishment, criticism, etc.: Without its star pitcher, the baseball team will get its lumps today.
Origin of lump
1
1250–1300; Middle English lumpe, lomp(e); cognate with early Dutch lompe piece, Danish lump(e) lump, dialectal Norwegian lump block
You can lump unemployment policies into two broad categories—the US-style efforts that provide payments to people who have lost their jobs, and policies popular in Europe that provide money to companies to keep workers on the payroll.
Job markets in the US and Europe are surprisingly similar|Dan Kopf|September 16, 2020|Quartz
Unlike spoons, spurtles allegedly don’t drag and prevent lumps.
In Pursuit of the Perfect Bowl of Porridge|Clarissa Wei|September 11, 2020|Eater
That arrangement might look something like paying a lump sum, Shevchuck suggests, but Moran argues “in my experience, arrangements to collect money from employees who have departed are inherently problematic.”
As Trump’s payroll tax holiday kicks in, here’s what employers and employees need to know|Anne Sraders|September 1, 2020|Fortune
Upon closer inspection of a big lump of bones in the creature’s belly, Motani’s team discovered that the last thing the ichthyosaur ate was the body of a thalattosaur, sans head and tail.
This ichthyosaur died after devouring a creature nearly as long as itself|Maria Temming|August 20, 2020|Science News
A pair of changes being rolled out to Apple’s operating systems has publishers lumping the device maker into that group as well.
‘A shady move’: Apple News+ Safari change automatically redirecting traffic to itself infuriates publishers|Max Willens|August 12, 2020|Digiday
French President François Hollande is telling the French people they should “not lump them together.”
France’s Wave of Crazy-Terror Christmas Attacks|Christopher Dickey|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the Americans are going to lump them together with ISIS, maybe best to join forces.
ISIS and Al Qaeda Ready to Gang Up on Obama's Rebels|Jamie Dettmer|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The one-time anti-bullying champion let his attorney seek to lump the victim together with the victimizer.
Ray Rice Should Have Remembered His 'Kindness' Anti-Bullying Wristband|Michael Daly|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One morning in late December, Sclove told me she awoke to discover a lump on her lower spine.
Is Sex Assault a Crime in the Ivy League?|Olivia Nuzzi|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The lump, it turned out, was the result of a dislocated vertebrae.
Is Sex Assault a Crime in the Ivy League?|Olivia Nuzzi|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Major hardly ever visited the henhouse without finding a lump somewhere.
The Tale of Major Monkey|Arthur Scott Bailey
Not much, but that was a pretty good crack, was Andys reply, as he felt his head where a lump was rapidly rising.
First at the North Pole|Edward Stratemeyer
Paulette blew alive the coals of last night's fire, and made coffee and carried it across to her husband with a lump of bread.
Home Fires in France|Dorothy Canfield
It is looking up into your face, and its mouth is open as if anticipating a lump of sugar.
The Sorcery Club|Elliott O'Donnell
He longed to say "some currants," but he had failed before, and he substituted "a lump of sugar."
The Altar Steps|Compton MacKenzie
British Dictionary definitions for lump (1 of 2)
lump1
/ (lʌmp) /
noun
a small solid mass without definite shape
patholany small swelling or tumour
a collection of things; aggregate
informalan awkward, heavy, or stupid person
(plural)USinformalpunishment, defeat, or reverseshe took his lumps
the lumpBritish
self-employed workers in the building trade considered collectively, esp with reference to tax and national insurance evasion
(as modifier)lump labour
(modifier)in the form of a lump or lumpslump sugar
a lump in one's throata tight dry feeling in one's throat, usually caused by great emotion
verb
(tr often foll by together) to collect into a mass or group
(intr)to grow into lumps or become lumpy
(tr)to consider as a single group, often without justification
(tr)to make or cause lumps in or on
(intr often foll by along) to move or proceed in a heavy manner
Word Origin for lump
C13: probably related to early Dutch lompe piece, Scandinavian dialect lump block, Middle High German lumpe rag
British Dictionary definitions for lump (2 of 2)
lump2
/ (lʌmp) /
verb
(tr)informalto tolerate or put up with; endure (in the phrase lump it)