lump
lump — noun
1. a solid piece of a substance that has no fixed or regular shape
a solid piece of a substance that has no fixed or regular shape
Eli added a lump of sugar to his coffee and stirred it slowly.
collocation: lump of sugar
The sauce had lumps in it because Andrei had not mixed it long enough.
collocation: lumps in sauce
Allison broke off a lump of clay from the large block before starting her sculpture.
collocation: lump of clay
When the cement dried overnight, it formed a rock-hard lump that was difficult to remove.
- lump of sugar/clay/coal/butter/meat
- form a lump
- break into lumps
- lumps in sauce/soup
- piece
'piece' is more neutral and can refer to any fraction of something, while 'lump' emphasizes shapelessness
Grammar Patterns
lump + of + [substance]
Usage Note
Countable noun. Often followed by 'of' to describe what the lump is made of, as in 'a lump of coal' or 'a lump of butter.'
Common Mistakes
2. a large quantity of money or something valuable that is treated as one total uni
a large quantity of money or something valuable that is treated as one total unit rather than being divided
The lottery winner chose to receive the prize as a single lump payment instead of yearly instalments.
collocation: lump payment / lump sum
Mateo decided to invest his entire lump sum of savings in buying a small house near the beach.
The charity received a large lump of money from an anonymous donor last week.
collocation: lump of money
Her retirement fund paid out as a lump sum, so she had to plan carefully how to use it.
collocation: lump sum
- a lump sum
- a lump payment
- a lump of savings/money/cash
- instalment
a single payment of a divided total, the opposite of a lump sum
Grammar Patterns
lump + of + [money/resource]
a lump sum
Usage Note
Most common in financial contexts with 'sum' or 'payment.' The phrase 'lump sum' is a set expression meaning a single payment of the full amount.
Common Mistakes
3. a raised or hardened area that can develop beneath the outer layer of the body,
a raised or hardened area that can develop beneath the outer layer of the body, often because of sickness or a wound
Daichi found a small hard lump on his neck and immediately booked a doctor's appointment.
After the mosquito bite, a red itchy lump appeared on Hamza's forearm within minutes.
collocation: lump appeared on [body part]
The doctor examined the lump on Élise's shoulder and said it was just a harmless cyst.
Theo noticed a painful lump behind his ear while washing his face one morning.
collocation: lump behind/on/in [body part]
- find/feel/discover a lump
- lump on/in/behind [body part]
- a lump appears
- a hard/painful/swollen lump
- a harmless lump
Grammar Patterns
lump + on/in/behind + [body part]
Usage Note
Frequently used in medical contexts. A lump can be harmless or a sign of a serious condition such as cancer. In everyday speech, 'lump' and 'bump' are often used interchangeably for small swellings.
Common Mistakes
4. someone described as heavy, slow, or clumsy, usually in an informal teasing way
someone described as heavy, slow, or clumsy, usually in an informal teasing way
The coach called the new player a useless lump after he kept tripping over his own feet during training.
informal insult: useless lump
Reuben is a big friendly lump who would never hurt anyone, but he does break things by accident.
Come on, you great lump, stop sitting there and help us carry these boxes to the truck!
informal teasing: you great lump
Jabari's classmates called him a lump after he spilled paint all over the floor during art class.
- a big/fat lump
- you great lump
- useless lump
- lazy lump
Usage Note
Informal and potentially insulting. Often used teasingly among friends or as a mild insult. In British English, it can also be softened with 'big' as in 'you big lump' to sound more affectionate.
Common Mistakes
You feel a tightness in your throat because you are very sad or emotional.
Maya had a lump in her throat when she saw her son graduate.
Did you have a lump in your throat during the farewell speech?
take your lumps
idiomYou accept the bad things that happen to you without complaining.
Brian took his lumps after the team lost the championship game.
If you make a mistake, you have to take your lumps.
lump — verb
1. to tolerate an unpleasant state of affairs because you have no power to alter it
to tolerate an unpleasant state of affairs because you have no power to alter it
Lakshmi hated the new schedule at work, but she was told she would have to like it or lump it.
fixed expression: like it or lump it
The passengers were told the flight was delayed by six hours and they would simply have to lump it.
grammar pattern: have to lump it
The children complained loudly about the camping trip, but their parents said they must lump it or stay home.
Pim disliked the new company policy, but the manager said everyone had to lump it and carry on.
- lump it
- like it or lump it
- have to lump it
- must lump it
- put up with
more general, used in daily speech for tolerating anything annoying
- tolerate
more formal; implies patience rather than resignation
- accept
neutral; does not carry the negative emotional weight of 'lump it'
- grin and bear it
idiomatic, similar in tone to 'lump it'
- reject
to refuse to accept something
Grammar Patterns
lump + it
like it or lump it
Usage Note
Almost always used with 'it' as the object. The fixed phrase 'like it or lump it' is very common and means you have no choice but to accept things as they are. More common in British English than American English.
Common Mistakes
2. to place different people or things into a single category or group without payi
to place different people or things into a single category or group without paying attention to their differences
The teacher lumped all the beginner students together in one class regardless of their age or skill level.
pattern: lump [plural] together
Critics often lump science fiction and fantasy novels into the same broad category during book award seasons.
pattern: lump [A] and [B] into [category]
Élise felt annoyed when reviewers lumped her with other painters who used completely different techniques.
pattern: lump [someone] with [group]
The report lumped together sales data from three very different regions, which made the analysis misleading.
passive use: lumped together
- lump together
- lump with
- lump into
- lump under a heading/category
- separate
to divide into individual parts or categories
- distinguish
to recognize and treat things as different from each other
Grammar Patterns
lump + [plural noun] + together
lump + [noun] + with + [noun]
lump + [noun] + into + [category]
Usage Note
Often carries a negative connotation — it implies the grouping is unfair or careless. Frequently used in the passive voice: 'they were lumped together.' Distinguish from 'group,' which is neutral.
Common Mistakes
lump — adjective
1. paid or given as one complete amount at a single time rather than being spread a
paid or given as one complete amount at a single time rather than being spread across separate payments
The company offered Allison a lump payment of fifty thousand dollars as a retirement bonus.
collocation: lump payment
Instead of paying in monthly instalments, Mateo chose a single lump sum to settle the entire debt at once.
collocation: lump sum
The government awarded the research team a lump-sum grant to fund their project for the full five years.
Winners of the competition can receive the prize as yearly payments or as one lump sum of cash.
- lump sum
- lump payment
- lump amount
- lump fee
- lump grant
- instalment
divided into regular payments over time
Grammar Patterns
lump sum/payment/fee
Usage Note
Most commonly used before 'sum' or 'payment' to describe a financial arrangement. This adjective form does not have comparative or superlative forms. Note that 'lump sum' has become a standard compound noun.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- lumpyadjectiveB2
- lumpinessnounC1
- lumpishadjectiveC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All four words describe a piece of a larger substance, but they differ in shape, texture, and usage. 'Lump' emphasizes shapelessness and solidity — a lump of coal or clay has no regular outline. 'Chunk' suggests a thicker, more defined piece that has been cut or broken off, such as a chunk of bread or cheese. 'Clump' highlights things that stick together, like a clump of mud or hair, often implying a loose, messy cluster. 'Hunk' is the most colloquial and usually describes a large, appealing piece of food, like a hunk of meat or cheese. For everyday objects like sugar or butter, 'lump' is the default; for neatly cut portions, use 'chunk'; for sticky masses, use 'clump'; and for food you are about to eat, 'hunk' feels natural.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'lump' comes from Middle English 'lumpe,' which appeared around 1300. It may have entered English from a Scandinavian source — compare Old Norse 'leppr' meaning a lock of hair or a rag. The sense of a shapeless mass was the original meaning. By the 1700s, it had developed the verb sense of 'to put up with' (in the phrase 'lump it'), and by the 1800s, the financial meaning of a 'lump sum' was established. The adjective use grew naturally from the noun in the context of undivided payments.