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hump definition

hump (hump)

noun

  1. a rounded, protruding lump, as the fleshy mass on the back of a camel
  2. a hummock; mound
  3. Brit., Informal a fit of melancholy: with the

Etymology: < or akin to LowG humpe, thick piece < IE *kumb- (< base *keu-, to bend, curve) > hip, Sans kumba-, thick end (of a bone), Gr kymbē, a bowl

transitive verb

  1. to hunch; arch the cat humped its back
  2. Austral., Brit., Informal to carry on the back
  3. Slang to have sexual intercourse with

intransitive verb

  1. to exert oneself
  2. to hurry
hump Idioms

over the hump

☆
Informal over the worst or most difficult part

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms hump idiom

hump Synonyms

hump

n.

protuberance, mound, bump, swelling, camel hump, humpback, hunchback, hummock, protrusion, elevation, convexity, knob, knap, convexedness, excrescence, prominence, knurl, monticle, eminence, boss, projection, swell, hunch, barrow, gibbosity, lump, dune, tumescence, kopje; see also bulge, hill.


hump*

v.

rush, work hard, speed up; see hurry 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

hump Usage Examples

Object

  • bridge: At the bottom of the garden flowed a small stream with a little humped bridge which is still there.

Converse of object

  • traverse: From a selection of 40 vehicles, only 8 traversed the humps without deviating to the middle of the road to avoid them.

Preposition: on

  • road: Only a 'loose cannon ' would argue in a road safety magazine in 1973 for speed humps on public roads.

Adjective modifier

  • flat-top: Two ' standard ' profiles were included for comparison: a 3.7m long round-top hump and an 8m long flat-top hump with straight ramps.

Modifies a noun

  • bridge: The lane descends fast bearing right at the bottom of the hill to a hump back bridge.

Noun used with modifier

  • buffalo: No, you won't grow a buffalo hump overnight.

Possessives

  • dowager: The deformity is responsible for some cases of so-called dowager's hump.

Preposition: in

  • road: On the very top of the map, you will find a small hump in the road.
hump usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

hump quotes

The camel's hump is an ugly lump Which well you may see at the Zoo; But uglier yet is the hump we get From having too little to do.

-Kipling, (Joseph) Rudyard

The camel has a single hump; The dromedary, two; Or else the other way around, I'm never sure. Are you?

-Nash, (Frederic) Ogden

  What are we learning Frenchor thepianofor,Iwould like to know, if it is not to be sold to a man some day† We have to cringe, and manoeuvre, and grimace for a husbandöa husband who may be deaf orhavea hump if he is richöa husband that may attack you in delirium tremens to-day if he makes a devout act of contrition for it to-morrow.

-O'Brien,William

hump quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"hump." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/hump>

APA Style

hump. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/hump

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