1
: a piece or mass of indefinite size and shape
a lump of coal
a lump of clay
2
3
: protuberance
especially : an abnormal swelling
came to with nothing more than a lump on his head
4
: a person who is heavy and awkward
a lump of a man
also : one who is stupid or dull
see also:
lumped; lumping; lumps
1
: to group indiscriminately
2
: to make into lumps
also : to make lumps on or in
3
: to move noisily and clumsily
Examples of lump in a Sentence
Noun turning a lump of clay into a beautiful pot He got a lump on his head after bumping into the doorway. Verb (1) when we lumped all of our pocket change together, we found that we had just enough a buy a carton of ice cream while I was on crutches, I was lumping about the house like an elephant
Recent Examples on the Web
Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026 And a reshaped district in parts of western Virginia lumps together three Democratic-leaning college towns to offset other Republican voters. —ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026 The Mummy is set up with the grace of Boris Karloff lumping around the catacombs. —Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 6 May 2024 The Malaysian government has offered monthly assistance to the unemployed and lump payments to workers in certain sectors. —Matt Apuzzo, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2020 See All Example Sentences for lump
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Tent caterpillar egg masses look like a smooth lump of black spray foam wrapped around a branch. —Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026 And a reshaped district in parts of western Virginia lumps together three Democratic-leaning college towns to offset other Republican voters. —ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
Whereas previous research lumped these traits together, the latest sought to break them into distinct pathways that guide individuals towards a career or vocation. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026 The Mummy is set up with the grace of Boris Karloff lumping around the catacombs. —Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Choose from two of the following: Premium choice chateaubriand cut filet mignon, lump crab cakes, and Chilean sea bass cakes, whipped potatoes with rosemary, asparagus with red peppers and sea salt butter, and eight chocolate dipped strawberries. —Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 6 May 2024 The Malaysian government has offered monthly assistance to the unemployed and lump payments to workers in certain sectors. —Matt Apuzzo, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2020 See All Example Sentences for lump
Cite this Entry
“Lump.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/lump. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lump
2 of 3 adjective
: not divided into parts : whole
a lump sum
lump
3 of 3 verb
1
: to group together
2
: to move noisily and clumsily
3
: to form into a lump
Medical Definition
lump
noun
1
: a piece or mass of indefinite size and shape
2
: an abnormal mass or swelling
presenting as a neck lump
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