Library / English Dictionary

LUMP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A compact mass

Example:

a ball of mud caught him on the shoulder

Synonyms:

ball; chunk; clod; clump; glob; lump

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("lump" is a kind of...):

agglomeration (a jumbled collection or mass)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lump"):

clot; coagulum (a lump of material formed from the content of a liquid)

gob (a lump of slimy stuff)

clew (a ball of yarn or cord or thread)

Derivation:

lumpy (having lumps; not smooth and even in texture)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A large piece of something without definite shape

Example:

a lump of coal

Synonyms:

hunk; lump

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("lump" is a kind of...):

part; piece (a portion of a natural object)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lump"):

nodule ((mineralogy) a small rounded lump of mineral substance (usually harder than the surrounding rock or sediment))

nugget (a solid lump of a precious metal (especially gold) as found in the earth)

Derivation:

lump (group or chunk together in a certain order or place side by side)

lump (put together indiscriminately)

lumpy (having lumps; not smooth and even in texture)

lumpy (like or containing small sticky lumps)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An awkward stupid person

Synonyms:

clod; gawk; goon; lout; lubber; lummox; lump; oaf; stumblebum

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("lump" is a kind of...):

clumsy person (a person with poor motor coordination)

Sense 4

Meaning:

An abnormal protuberance or localized enlargement

Synonyms:

lump; puffiness; swelling

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("lump" is a kind of...):

symptom ((medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease)

enlargement (the state of being enlarged)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lump"):

spermatocele (a swelling on the epididymis or the testis; usually contains spermatozoa)

bloat (swelling of the rumen or intestinal tract of domestic animals caused by excessive gas)

bunion (a painful swelling of the bursa of the first joint of the big toe)

dropsy; edema; hydrops; oedema (swelling from excessive accumulation of watery fluid in cells, tissues, or serous cavities)

haematocele; haematocoele; hematocele; hematocoele (swelling caused by blood collecting in a body cavity (especially a swelling of the membrane covering the testis))

intumescence; intumescency (swelling up with blood or other fluids (as with congestion))

iridoncus (swelling of the iris of the eye)

lymphogranuloma (swelling of a lymph node)

oscheocele; oscheocoele (swelling of the scrotum)

tumidity; tumidness (slight swelling of an organ or part)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Group or chunk together in a certain order or place side by side

Synonyms:

chunk; collocate; lump

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "lump" is one way to...):

group (arrange into a group or groups)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

lump (a large piece of something without definite shape)

lumper (a taxonomist who classifies organisms into large groups on the basis of major characteristics)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Put together indiscriminately

Example:

lump together all the applicants

Synonyms:

chunk; lump

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "lump" is one way to...):

accumulate; amass; collect; compile; hoard; pile up; roll up (get or gather together)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

lump (a large piece of something without definite shape)

Credits

 Context examples: 

I gave a lump of silver as big as my head for it.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

A lump in tissue near the uterus, usually in the ovary or fallopian tube.

(Adnexal mass, NCI Dictionary)

Possible signs of small intestine cancer include: • Abdominal pain • Weight loss for no reason • Blood in the stool • A lump in the abdomen

(Intestinal Cancer, NIH: National Cancer Institute)

“Oh! That fellow!” said Steerforth, beating a lump of coal on the top of the fire, with the poker.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

A surgical procedure in which a portion of a lump or suspicious area is removed for diagnosis.

(Incisional biopsy, NCI Dictionary)

A surgical procedure in which an entire lump or suspicious area is removed for diagnosis.

(Excisional biopsy, NCI Dictionary)

Putting out my hand in the darkness I came upon something which felt like a huge lump of meat, while my other hand closed upon a large bone.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Alleyne said nothing, but his heart seemed to turn to a lump of ice in his bosom.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

X-ray of the breasts used to check for breast cancer after a lump or other sign or symptom of breast cancer has been found.

(Diagnostic mammogram, NCI Dictionary)

Grey Beaver was breaking the lump of tallow in half!

(White Fang, by Jack London)