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
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
Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
These include things like oats, coconut glycerin, and peanut butter in the lumps of coal biscuits, oats, peanut butter and bacon in the bac’n nutty biscuits, and chickpeas, tapioca flour and apples in the brushy sticks.
—Christine Persaud, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Melody Kazel, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Together all three flavors are lumped into a broad category called active galactic nuclei, or AGN for short.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2025
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
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Noun
Women may also be less likely to feel a distinct lump during a breast self-exam, which can delay detection.
—Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
These include things like oats, coconut glycerin, and peanut butter in the lumps of coal biscuits, oats, peanut butter and bacon in the bac’n nutty biscuits, and chickpeas, tapioca flour and apples in the brushy sticks.
—Christine Persaud, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
The pillows are also resistant to shifting and lumping, so the filling will remain evenly balanced, providing a reliably cozy place to rest your head every night.
—Melody Kazel, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Together all three flavors are lumped into a broad category called active galactic nuclei, or AGN for short.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2025
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.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lump. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lump
2 of 3 adjective
: not divided into parts : whole
a lump sum
lump
3 of 3 verb1
: to group together
2
: to move noisily and clumsily
3
: to form into a lump
Medical Definition
lump
noun1
: a piece or mass of indefinite size and shape
2
: an abnormal mass or swelling
presenting as a neck lump
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