lump: Meaning and Definition of

lump

Pronunciation: (lump), [key]
— n.
  1. a piece or mass of solid matter without regular shape or of no particular shape: a lump of coal.
  2. a protuberance or swelling: a blow that raised a lump on his head.
  3. an aggregation, collection, or mass; clump: All the articles were piled in a great lump.
  4. a small block of granulated sugar, designed for sweetening hot coffee, tea, etc.: How many lumps do you take in your coffee?
  5. majority; plurality; multitude: The great lump of voters are still undecided.
  6. harsh criticism, punishment, or defeat: The new theory came in for some lumps when other scholars heard of it.
  7. a heavy, clumsy, and usually stupid person.
  8. to receive or endure hardship, punishment, criticism, etc.: Without its star pitcher, the baseball team will get its lumps today.
—adj.
  1. in the form of a lump or lumps: lump sugar.
  2. made up of a number of items taken together; not separated or considered separately: The debts were paid in one lump sum.
—v.t.
  1. to unite into one aggregation, collection, or mass (often fol. by together): We lumped the reds and blues together.
  2. to deal with, handle, consider, etc., in the lump or mass: to lump unrelated matters indiscriminately.
  3. to make into a lump or lumps: to lump dough before shaping it into loaves.
  4. to raise into or cover with lumps: a plow lumping the moist earth.
—v.i.
  1. to form or raise a lump or lumps: Stir the gravy so that it doesn't lump.
  2. to move heavily and awkwardly: The big oaf lumped along beside me.

lump

Pronunciation: (lump), [key]
— v.t. Informal.
  1. to put up with; resign oneself to; accept and endure: If you don't like it, you can lump it.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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