bumbershoot

noun

bum·​ber·​shoot ˈbəm-bər-ˌshüt How to pronounce bumbershoot (audio)
plural bumbershoots
US, informal
: umbrella sense 1
Mr. Whifflebottom shifted to his other arm the long black bumbershoot he carried ever with him, against the rain that seldom came, even as he wore always knee-high rubber boots for the same reason.—Harry Stephen Keeler
A bumbershoot is exactly the same as an umbrella, but it's a much better word. The bumber bit is a variant of brolly, and the shoot is there because it looks a little bit like a parachute.—Mark Forsyth
… the sort of writer who won't say umbrella when he can say bumbershoot.—Malcolm Jones

Did you know?

Umbrellas have plenty of nicknames. In Britain, brolly is a popular alternative to the more staid umbrella. Sarah Gamp, a fictional nurse who toted a particularly large umbrella in Charles Dickens's novel Martin Chuzzlewit, has inspired some English speakers to dub oversize versions gamps. Bumbershoot is a predominantly American nickname, one that has been recorded as a whimsical, slightly irreverent handle for umbrellas since the late 1800s. As with most slang terms, the origins of bumbershoot are a bit foggy, but it appears that the bumber is a modification of the umbr- in umbrella and the shoot is an alteration of the -chute in parachute (since an open parachute looks a little like an umbrella).

Examples of bumbershoot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But expressing disdain for the bumbershoot has become somewhat of a local pastime, and some locals consider not carrying an umbrella to be an unspoken rule in the Emerald City. —Melissa Santos, Axios, 2 Dec. 2024 The show also expands the familiar story to include a castor-oil-dispensing nanny nemesis for our bumbershoot-sailing Miss Poppins. —Web Behrens, chicagotribune.com, 24 Nov. 2019

Word History

Etymology

bumber- (alteration of umbr- in umbrella) + -shoot (alteration of -chute in parachute)

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bumbershoot was in 1876

Rhymes for bumbershoot

See All Rhymes for bumbershoot

Browse Nearby Words

bumbee
bumbershoot
bumble
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Bumbershoot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumbershoot. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

Using Bullet Points ( • )

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

8 Real (and Perceived) Redundant Words

17 Words for Dog Breeds

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

8 Real (and Perceived) Redundant Words

17 Words for Dog Breeds
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All