VERB
If you
bump
into something or someone, you accidentally hit them while you are moving. □ [V
+ into/against
]
They stopped walking and he almost bumped into them.
□ [V
n]
He bumped his head on the low beams of the house.
● N‑COUNT
Bump
is also a noun. □
Small children often cry after a minor bump.
2
N‑COUNT
A
bump
is the action or the dull sound of two heavy objects hitting each other. □
I felt a little bump and I knew instantly what had happened.
□
The child took five steps, and then sat down with a bump.
3
N‑COUNT
A
bump
is a minor injury or swelling that you get if you bump into something or if something hits you. □ [+ on
]
She fell against our coffee table and got a large bump on her forehead.
4
N‑COUNT
If you have a
bump
while you are driving a car, you have a minor accident in which you hit something. [INFORMAL
]
5
N‑COUNT
A
bump
on a road is a raised, uneven part. □
The truck hit a bump and bounced.
6
VERB
If a vehicle
bumpsover
a surface, it travels in a rough, bouncing way because the surface is very uneven. □ [V
prep/adv]
We left the road, and again bumped over the mountainside.
7
→ see also
goose bumps
8
PHRASE
If someone comes down to earthwith a bump
, they suddenly start recognizing unpleasant facts after a period of time when they have not been doing this. [EMPHASIS
] □ [+ after
]
We were brought back to earth with a bump by financial reality.
▸
bump into
PHRASAL VERB
If you
bump into
someone you know, you meet them unexpectedly. [INFORMAL
] □ [V
P
n]
I happened to bump into Mervyn Johns in the hallway.
▸
bump off
PHRASAL VERB
To
bump
someone
off
means to kill them. [often HUMOROUS
, INFORMAL
] □ [V
n P
]
They will probably bump you off anyway!
□ [V
P
n]
…a vigilante killer who is bumping off criminals.
bump|er
/bʌ
mpə
r
/ (bumpers
)
1
N‑COUNT
Bumpers
are bars at the front and back of a vehicle which protect it if it bumps into something.
2
ADJ
[ADJ
n] A
bumper
crop or harvest is one that is larger than usual. □
…a bumper crop of rice.
□
In the state of Iowa, it's been a bumper year for corn.
3
ADJ
[ADJ
n] If you say that something is
bumper
size, you mean that it is very large. □
…bumper profits.
□
…a bumper pack of matches.
bu
mp|er car
(
bumper cars
) N‑COUNT
A
bumper car
is a small electric car with a wide rubber bumper all round. People drive bumper cars around a special enclosure at a fairground.
bu
mp|er stick|er
(
bumper stickers
) N‑COUNT
A
bumper sticker
is a small piece of paper or plastic with words or pictures on it, designed for sticking onto the back of your car. It usually has a political, religious, or humorous message. □
…a bumper sticker that said, 'Happiness Is Being a Grandmother'.
bumph
/bʌ
mf/ → see
bumf
bump|kin
/bʌ
mpk
I
n/ (bumpkins
) N‑COUNT
If you refer to someone as a
bumpkin
, you think they are uneducated and stupid because they come from the countryside. [DISAPPROVAL
] □
…unsophisticated country bumpkins.
bump|tious
/bʌ
mpʃəs/ ADJ
If you say that someone is
bumptious
, you are criticizing them because they are very pleased with themselves and their opinions. [DISAPPROVAL
] □
…a bumptious bureaucrat.
bumpy
/bʌ
mpi/ (bumpier
, bumpiest
)
1
ADJ
A
bumpy
road or path has a lot of bumps on it. □
…bumpy cobbled streets.
2
ADJ
A
bumpy
journey is uncomfortable and rough, usually because you are travelling over an uneven surface. □
…a hot and bumpy ride across the desert.
bun
/bʌ
n/ (buns
)
1
N‑COUNT
[oft n N
]
Buns
are small bread rolls. They are sometimes sweet and may contain dried fruit or spices. □
…a currant bun.
2
N‑COUNT
Buns
are small sweet cakes. They often have icing on the top. [BRIT
]
3
N‑COUNT
If a woman has her hair in a
bun
, she has fastened it tightly on top of her head or at the back of her head in the shape of a ball.