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lump1

Pronunciation: /lʌmp/

Translate lump | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of lump

noun

  • 1a compact mass of a substance, especially one without a definite or regular shape:there was a lump of ice floating in the milk
  • a swelling under the skin, especially one caused by injury or disease:he was unhurt apart from a huge lump on his head
  • a small cube of sugar.
  • informal a heavy, ungainly, or slow-witted person:I won’t stand a chance against a big lump like you
  • 2 (the lump) British informal the state of being self-employed and paid without deduction of tax, especially in the building industry:‘Working?’ ‘Only on the lump, here and there’ [as modifier]:lump labour

verb

  • 1 [with object and adverbial] put in an indiscriminate mass or group; treat as alike without regard for particulars:Hong Kong and Bangkok tend to be lumped together in holiday brochures Nigel didn’t like being lumped in with prisoners
  • [no object] (in taxonomy) classify plants or animals in relatively inclusive groups, disregarding minor variations: many arguments are based on one side lumping and the other splitting
  • 2 [with object and adverbial of direction] British carry (a heavy load) somewhere with difficulty:the coalman had to lump one-hundredweight sacks right through the house

Phrases

a lump in the throat

a feeling of tightness or dryness in the throat caused by strong emotion, especially sadness:there was a lump in her throat as she gazed down at her uncle’s gaunt features

take (or get) one's lumps

informal, chiefly North American suffer punishment; be attacked or defeated: Jason decided to lie doggo and let Faraday take his lumps

Origin:

Middle English: perhaps from a Germanic base meaning 'shapeless piece'; compare with Danish lump 'lump', Norwegian and Swedish dialect lump 'block, log', and Dutch lomp 'rag'

lump in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of lump in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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