What does "lump" mean?
Something that protrudes, sticks out, or sticks together; a cluster or blob; a mound or mass of no particular shape.
Lump
/lʌmp/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something that protrudes, sticks out, or sticks together; a cluster or blob; a mound or mass of no particular shape.
- Grammar: lump is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: chunk, clump, swelling, abide.
- Useful contrasts: bandlet, detail, dissolve.
- Usage evidence: Please put a lump of sugar in my coffee.
How to use "lump"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lump" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lump" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lump" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lump" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lump" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "chunk" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lump", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something that protrudes, sticks out, or sticks together; a cluster or blob; a mound or mass of no particular shape.
"Stir the gravy until there are no more lumps."
- 2 a compact mass wordnet
- 3 A swelling or nodule of tissue under the skin or in an internal part of the body.
"Lumps in the breasts are an indicator of breast cancer."
- 4 a large piece of something without definite shape wordnet
- 5 A group, set, or unit.
"The money arrived all at once as one big lump sum payment."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 an awkward stupid person wordnet
- 7 A small, shaped mass of sugar, typically about a teaspoonful.
"Do you want one lump or two with your coffee?"
- 8 an abnormal protuberance or localized enlargement wordnet
- 9 A dull or lazy person.
"Don't just sit there like a lump."
- 10 A fat person.
- 11 A beating or verbal abuse. informal
"He's taken his lumps over the years."
- 12 A projection beneath the breech end of a gun barrel.
- 13 A kind of fish, the lumpsucker.
"You roast him [the fish] […] just like a lump."
- 14 Food given to a tramp to be eaten on the road. obsolete, slang
"“A lump,” explained The Whimperer […] “is wot a kin’ lady slips youse w’en youse batter de back door. If she invites youse in and lets youse t’row yer feet unner de table, it’s a set-down. If she slips youse a lunch in a poiper bag, it’s a lump. See? […]”"
- 15 The workhouse. obsolete, slang
Verb
- 1 To treat as a single unit; to group together in a casual or chaotic manner (as if forming an ill-defined lump of the items). transitive
"People tend to lump turtles and tortoises together, when in fact they are different creatures."
- 2 group or chunk together in a certain order or place side by side wordnet
- 3 To bear (a heavy or awkward burden); to carry (something unwieldy) from one place to another. transitive
"Well, a male body was brought to a certain surgeon by a man he had often employed, and the pair lumped it down on the dissecting table, and then the vendor received his money and went."
- 4 put together indiscriminately wordnet
- 5 To burden (someone) with an undesired task or responsibility. transitive
"The Luftwaffe, at this point, was still refusing to play ball completely, however. But someone decided to lump Adolf Galland with command of the air operation, and he decided to work with Luftflotte 3, mobilizing their training units to make up the numbers, since large numbers of that particular formation's fighters had been diverted to the campaign in Russia, which was why the fighter numbers were so much lower than they had been the previous year."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To hit or strike (a person). slang, transitive
"If that's the only way you can fight, then you'd better be prepared to get lumped."
- 7 To form a lump or lumps. intransitive
"Thin the paint with mineral spirits for a medium consistency so that it will not drip or lump."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Please put a lump of sugar in my coffee."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lump"?
Common synonyms include: chunk, clump, swelling, abide, abide with, accumulation.
How do you use "lump" in a sentence?
Please put a lump of sugar in my coffee.
How do you pronounce "lump"?
Pronounced /lʌmp/.
Etymology
From Middle English lumpe, from a Germanic base akin to Proto-Germanic *limpaną (“to glide, go, hang loosely”). Compare Dutch lomp (“rag”), German Low German Lump (“rag”), German Lumpen (“rag”) and Lump (“ragamuffin”).