Lump — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb adjective /ˈləmp/

Meaning & Definition of Lump

Lump (noun)

  1. a piece or mass of indefinite size and shape
  2. aggregate, totality
  3. majority

Lump (verb)

  1. to group indiscriminately
  2. to make into lumps; also, to make lumps on or in
  3. to move noisily and clumsily
  4. to put up with

Lump (adjective)

  1. not divided into parts, entire

Lump (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a small uneven mass

    "she dumped a lump of clay on the table and started to sculpt"

    similar: blob, chunk, clod, clot, clump, dollop, glob, gob, gobbet, hunk, knob, nub, nubble, nugget, wad
    related: bead, drop, globule, block, body, bulk, particle, piece, portion, bit, chip, crumb, granule, morsel, nubbin, patch, scrap

  2. a small rounded mass of swollen tissue

    "I got a good-sized lump on my head from that fall"

    similar: bump, knot, node, nodule, swelling
    related: growth, tumor, wart, hump, hunch, bruise, contusion, welt, blister, boil, blob, chunk, clod, clump, gob, gobbet, hunk, knob, nub, nubble, nugget, wad

  3. an abnormal mass of tissue

    "advised by her doctor to examine her breasts regularly for unusual lumps"

    similar: excrescence, excrescency, growth, neoplasm, tumor
    related: outgrowth, cancer, carcinoma, lymphoma, malignancy, melanoma, polyp, cyst, tubercle, wart

  4. failure to win a contest

    "you can't win all the time, so learn to take your lumps in stride"

    similar: beating, defeat, drubbing, licking, loss, overthrow, plastering, rout, shellacking, trimming, trouncing, whipping
    related: collapse, debacle, failure, fiasco, fizzle, flop, nonsuccess, setback, upset, lurch, shutout, washout, whitewash
    opposite: success, triumph, victory, win
    near: accomplishment, achievement, blowout, cakewalk, landslide, romp, runaway, sweep, walkaway, walkover

  5. a stupid person

    "gazed disgustedly at the lump her daughter had married"

    similar: airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, bonehead, bubblehead, chowderhead, chucklehead, clodpoll, clot (British), cluck, clunk, cretin, cuddy (British dialect), deadhead, dim bulb (slang), dimwit, dip, dodo, dolt, donkey, doofus (slang), dope, dork (slang), dullard, dum-dum, dumbbell, dumbhead, dummkopf, dummy, dunce, dunderhead, fathead, gander, golem, goof, goon, half-wit, hammerhead, hardhead, idiot, ignoramus, imbecile, jackass, know-nothing, knucklehead, lamebrain, loggerhead (chiefly dialect), loon, lunkhead, meathead, mome (archaic), moron, mug (chiefly British), mutt, nimrod (slang), nincompoop, ninny, ninnyhammer, nit (chiefly British), nitwit, noddy, noodle, numskull, oaf, pinhead, prat (British), ratbag (chiefly Australian), saphead, schlub (slang), schnook (slang), simpleton, stock, stupe, stupid, thickhead, turkey, woodenhead, yahoo, yo-yo, dumb cluck
    related: booby, buffoon, fool, goose, loony, madman, nut, zany, loser, gawk, featherbrain, scatterbrain, beast, boor, cad, churl, clown, creep, cur, heel, jerk, skunk, snake, stinker, villain
    opposite: brain, genius
    near: intellect, intellectual, sage, thinker, whiz, wizard, polymath, Renaissance man, sharpie

  6. a big clumsy often slow-witted person

    "standing next to those ballet dancers, with their graceful way of moving, I felt like a lump"

    similar: clod, clodhopper, gawk, hulk, lout, lubber, lug, Neanderthal, oaf, palooka
    related: chump, loser, schlemiel, turkey, slouch, airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, blunderer, bonehead, bubblehead, chowderhead, chucklehead, clodpoll, clot (British), cluck, clunk, cuddy (British dialect), deadhead, dim bulb (slang), dimwit, dip, dodo, dolt, donkey, doofus (slang), dope, dork (slang), dullard, dumbbell, dumbhead, dum-dum, dummkopf, dummy, dunce, dunderhead, fathead, galoot (slang), gander, golem, goof, goon, half-wit, hammerhead, hardhead, idiot, ignoramus, imbecile, jackass, know-nothing, knucklehead, lamebrain, loggerhead (chiefly dialect), loon, lunkhead, meathead, mome (archaic), moron, mug (chiefly British), mutt, nimrod (slang), nincompoop, ninny, ninnyhammer, nit (chiefly British), nitwit, noddy, noodle, numskull, pinhead, prat (British), ratbag (chiefly Australian), saphead, schlub (slang), schnook (slang), simp, simpleton, stock, stupe, stupid, thickhead, woodenhead, yahoo, yo-yo, anthropoid, ape, beast, boor, brute, cad, churl, clown, creep, cretin, cur, heel, louse, skunk, snake, stinker, tyke (chiefly British), villain, booby, fool, goose, loony, madman, nut, featherbrain, scatterbrain, rascal, rogue, scamp
    near: brain, brainiac, genius, intellectual, sage, thinker, whiz, wizard

Lump (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to bring together in one body or place

    "when we lumped all of our pocket change together, we found that we had just enough a buy a carton of ice cream"

    similar: accumulate, amass, assemble, bulk (up), collect, concentrate, congregate, constellate, corral, garner, gather, group, pick up, round up, get together
    related: ball, batch, bunch, cluster, huddle, heap, pile, stack, band, brigade, muster, raise, rally, flock, herd, hive, pack, press, swarm, throng, combine, connect, join, link, merge, pool, unite, archive, arrange, collate, compile, organize, systematize, scrape (up or together), re-collect, regather, regroup
    opposite: dispel, disperse, dissipate, scatter
    near: break up, disband, disintegrate, dissolve, separate, sever, split (up), dismiss, send

  2. to move heavily or clumsily

    "while I was on crutches, I was lumping about the house like an elephant"

    similar: barge, clump, flog (British), flounder, galumph, lumber, plod, pound, scuff, scuffle, shamble, shuffle, slog, slough, stamp, stomp, stumble, stump, tramp, tromp, trudge
    related: drag, flop, haul, blunder, careen, dodder, lurch, reel, stagger, sway, teeter, totter, waddle, weave, wobble
    opposite: breeze, coast, glide, slide, waltz, whisk
    near: drift, float, hang, hover, poise, waft

Lump (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in full, total

    similar: absolute, complete, full, teetotal, thorough, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unqualified, utter, all, concentrated, entire, exclusive, focused, undivided, whole, comprehensive, intact, integral, perfect, unbroken
    opposite: diffuse, divided, scattered, deficient, fragmental, fragmentary, halfway, incomplete, partial

Related Entry: Lump (it) (phrase)

Lump (it) is a different word from Lump. The synonyms below are for lump (it), not for lump.

  1. to put up with (something painful or difficult)

    "Like it or lump it, things are going to change around here."

    similar: abide, absorb, accept, bear, bide (chiefly dialect), brook, countenance, endure, go, hack, handle, meet, pocket, stand, stick out, stomach, support, sustain, sweat out, take, tolerate, wear (British), live with, stand for, tough it out
    related: allow, permit, suffer, swallow, reconcile (to), acquiesce, agree (with or to), assent (to), capitulate, consent (to), respect, submit (to), yield (to)
    near: decline, dismiss, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn, turn down, combat, contest, fight, oppose, resist, avoid, bypass, circumvent, dodge, elude, escape, evade, miss, abstain (from), forbear, refrain (from)

Related Entry: Lump (together) (verb)

Lump (together) is a different word from Lump. The synonyms below are for lump (together), not for lump.

  1. as in join, tie (together)

    similar: group, join, tie (together), compare, equate, liken, associate, connect, correlate, identify, link, relate
    opposite: contrast, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, separate, set off

  2. as in confuse, conflate

    similar: conflate, confound, confuse, mistake, mix (up), misapply, miscall, misidentify, misname
    opposite: difference, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, separate

Related Entry: Lump (up) (verb)

Lump (up) is a different word from Lump. The synonyms below are for lump (up), not for lump.

  1. as in clump, curdle

    similar: clump, curd, curdle, gum, condense, thicken, cake, concrete, firm (up), fix, freeze, harden, indurate, solidify, stiffen, clot, coagulate, congeal, gel, gelate, gelatinize, jell, jelly, set
    opposite: deliquesce, flux, fuse, liquefy, melt, thaw

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Lump

The most common words with a similar meaning to Lump:

Slang: dim bulb, doofus, dork, nimrod, schlub, schnook
British: clot, prat, flog
Chiefly British: mug, nit
British dialect: cuddy
Chiefly dialect: loggerhead
Archaic: mome
blob, chunk, clod, clump, dollop, glob, gob, gobbet, hunk, knob, nub, nubble, nugget, wad, bump, knot, node, nodule, swelling, excrescence, excrescency, growth, neoplasm, tumor, beating, defeat, drubbing, licking, loss, overthrow, plastering, rout, shellacking, trimming, trouncing, whipping, airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, bonehead

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Lump

Words with the opposite meaning of Lump:

success, triumph, victory, win, brain, genius, dispel, disperse, dissipate, scatter, breeze, coast, glide, slide, waltz, whisk, diffuse, divided, scattered, deficient, fragmental, fragmentary, halfway, incomplete, partial

Related Words for Lump

bead, drop, globule, block, body, bulk, particle, piece, portion, bit, chip, crumb, granule, morsel, nubbin, patch, scrap, wart, hump, hunch, bruise, contusion, welt, blister, boil, outgrowth, cancer, carcinoma, lymphoma, malignancy

Near Antonyms of Lump

accomplishment, achievement, blowout, cakewalk, landslide, romp, runaway, sweep, walkaway, walkover, intellect, intellectual, sage, thinker, whiz, wizard, polymath, Renaissance man, sharpie, brainiac, break up, disband, disintegrate, dissolve, separate, sever, split (up), dismiss, send, drift

Word Forms of Lump

Inflections: lumped, lumping, lumps

Origin & Etymology of Lump

Middle English

First known use: 14th century

Words & Phrases Containing Lump

lump in one's throat, lump it, lump sum, a lump in one's throat, sugar lump

Frequently Asked Questions about Lump

What does "Lump" mean?

"Lump" means a piece or mass of indefinite size and shape. As an a noun, a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: a piece or mass of indefinite size and shape. It has 9 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Lump"?

Other words for "Lump" include blob, chunk, clod, clot, clump, dollop, glob and gob. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Lump" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Lump"?

There are 316 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Lump". Common alternatives include blob, chunk, clod, clot, clump, dollop, glob, gob, gobbet and hunk.

What is a slang word for "Lump"?

Slang words for "Lump" include dim bulb, doofus, dork, nimrod, schlub and schnook.

What is the opposite of "Lump"?

Antonyms of "Lump" include success, triumph, victory, win, brain, genius, dispel and disperse. Near antonyms include accomplishment, achievement, blowout and cakewalk.

How do you use "Lump" in a sentence?

Examples of "Lump" in a sentence: "she dumped a lump of clay on the table and started to sculpt"; "I got a good-sized lump on my head from that fall"; "advised by her doctor to examine her breasts regularly for unusual lumps".

Is "Lump" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Lump" can be used as a noun, a verb and an adjective, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Lump"?

"Lump" is pronounced /ˈləmp/.