1
as in swelling
a small rounded mass of swollen tissue
that's a nasty bump on your arm where you hit the table
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
3
as in collision
a forceful coming together of two things
I felt the bump of the other car, but there was no damage to either vehicle
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to bang
to come into usually forceful contact with something
that police officer bumped into me and should have apologized
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bump
Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
This could mean that a recruiter needs to close a deal by Friday to get a candidate in, or a retention bump gets approved because a specific manager makes a really good case for it.
—Francesca Cassidy, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Where dancing on sticky living room floors, sneaking beers from your parents' refrigerator and bumping music on stereos were hallmarks of adolescence.
—Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bump
Noun
The Miss Universe Paraguay, 26, showed off her bump on the Premio Lo Nuestro awards red carpet at the Kaseya Center downtown in February.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
This could mean that a recruiter needs to close a deal by Friday to get a candidate in, or a retention bump gets approved because a specific manager makes a really good case for it.
—Francesca Cassidy, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
When Jalen Suggs tossed his mouthpiece off the court after he was bumped by LaMelo Ball roughly halfway through the first quarter of Thursday’s game at Charlotte, the Magic guard was quickly assessed a technical fine from official Scott Foster.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Where dancing on sticky living room floors, sneaking beers from your parents' refrigerator and bumping music on stereos were hallmarks of adolescence.
—Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bump
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bump
Noun
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If not treated early, the infection can progress to more serious symptoms, such as joint swelling and arthritis, nerve pain, tingling or numbness, facial muscle weakness, heart inflammation and difficulties with memory or concentration.—
Emily Bache,
The Conversation,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Far too often, symptoms such as fatigue, swelling, shortness of breath and nerve pain are misdiagnosed or dismissed.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The change is the most important yet in Rodriguez's cabinet and marks the demotion of a longtime powerbroker who controlled Venezuela's sprawling military.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The player doesn’t make sense, the stat line isn’t clean and the demotion of the late, great Kobe Bryant … well, that just feels bad.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And in 2009, collision between a plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson killed nine people.—
JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Authorities later said Davide Veglia, 55, of North Miami died after the collision Wednesday night in Biscayne Bay, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The 14ers banged drums and danced like no one was watching.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
-
People fed up with rolling blackouts have staged sporadic protests in recent days, banging pots and shouting slogans against the government, rare demonstrations in a country known for repressing dissent.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The ticket, which has a one-time lump-sum amount of $118 million, has still not been claimed as of today.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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Add American cheese, remaining 1 cup cheddar, and reserved soaking water; stir vigorously until most of the cheese is melted (some small lumps of cheese will remain and that is OK) and water is absorbed.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That tag is estimated at around $28 million against the cap, a significant one‑year cost but a price Dallas is apparently willing to pay to keep the offensive engine firing.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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The six-minute five-second engine firing will boost the ship's velocity by about 900 mph, just enough to push it out of Earth's orbit to begin the four-day coast to the moon.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Moments later, a bass thump sounded in the distance.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The experimental jet, part of NASA’s Quesst mission, is designed to fly faster than the speed of sound while producing only a soft sonic thump instead of a disruptive boom.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Two people were killed and two others were seriously injured when two cars collided Friday evening in west suburban Downers Grove.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Now that this replay fantasy has collided with a more complex, indeterminate and difficult reality, Trump is unable to explain his objectives or even give the country a sense of when the war might end.—
Jamelle Bouie,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bump.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bump. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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