bump

bump¹ S3 [bʌmp] v

[Date: 1500-1600; Origin: From the sound]

1.) [>I always + adv/prep, T]

to hit or knock against something

bump against

▪ I ran after him, bumping against people in my hurry.

bump into

▪ Tim was a clumsy boy, always bumping into the furniture.

bump sth on sth

▪ She bumped her arm on the table.

▪ The roof was so low he bumped his head (=his head hit the roof) .

2.) [I always + adverb/preposition]

to move up and down as you move forward, especially in a vehicle

▪ A police car bumped down the track.

bump along

▪ The plane was bumping along the runway.

3.) [T always + adverb/preposition]

to push or pull something somewhere in an irregular or unsteady way

▪ Flora was bumping her bags down the steps.

4.) [T] informal

to move someone or something into a different class or group, or to remove them from a class or group altogether

▪ The flight was overbooked, and Dad was the first one to be bumped.

bump sb up to/out of/from etc sth

▪ The reforms bumped many families off the state-provided healthcare list.

5.) [T]

to move a radio or television programme to a different time

▪ 'Married with Children' will be bumped from Sundays to Saturdays.

bump into [bump into sb] phr v

to meet someone who you know when you were not expecting to

= ↑run into

▪ I bumped into Jean in town this morning.

bump off [bump sb<=>off] phr v

to kill someone

bump up [bump sth<=>up] phr v

to suddenly increase something by a large amount

▪ Prices were bumped up by 10 percent last week.

bump ²

bump² n

1.) an area of skin that is raised because you have hit it on something

→↑lump

▪ She has a bump on the back of her head.

▪ He had a few injuries, mostly bumps and bruises.

2.) a small raised area on a surface

▪ The car hit a bump on the road.

→↑speed bump

3.) the sound or sudden movement of something hitting a hard surface

▪ We heard a bump in the next room.

fall/sit down etc with a bump

▪ Rose fell, landing with a bump.

4.) informal a small accident in which your car hits something but you are not hurt