bumper
/ˈbʌmpə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · [bˈʌmpɚ] /ˈbʌmpər/ (ame, ipa) · [bˈʌmpɚ] /ˈbəm-pər How to pronounce bumper (audio)/ (ame, mw) · /ˈbʌm.pər/ (bre, ipa) · [bˈʌmpɚ] /ˈbʌm.pɚ/ (ame, ipa)
bumper — noun
1. a strong metal or plastic bar fixed across each end of a car or truck so that, w
a strong metal or plastic bar fixed across each end of a car or truck so that, when the vehicle bumps into something, less damage is done to the body behind it
Liam reversed too quickly and dented the back bumper against a stone pillar.
front/back bumper as common modifier
The taxi driver tied a strip of rope around the broken front bumper.
Antonia found a deep scratch along the silver bumper of her father's old van.
Children at the fair laughed while their bumper cars knocked into each other.
A small dog ran out, and Christopher braked hard before the bumper could hit it.
- fender
American English; usually refers to the metal panel above each wheel, but in older American usage can mean the bumper itself
文法句型
front/rear bumper
用法筆記
Often appears with the modifier 'front' or 'back/rear' to specify which end of the vehicle. The phrase 'bumper to bumper' (cars packed very close in traffic) is a fixed expression worth knowing.
常見錯誤
2. in the game of cricket, a delivery in which the bowler throws the ball so it hit
in the game of cricket, a delivery in which the bowler throws the ball so it hits the pitch hard and rises sharply toward the batter's chest or head
The fast bowler sent down a fierce bumper that flew past Hamza's helmet.
typical verb: bowl/send down a bumper
Olivia ducked just in time as the next bumper skimmed her shoulder.
The crowd gasped when a sharp bumper struck the young batter on the gloves.
Cricket umpires may warn a bowler who keeps aiming bumpers at the batter's head.
- bouncer
more common everyday cricket term for the same delivery; 'bumper' sounds slightly older and more formal in match reports
- yorker
a ball pitched right at the batter's feet — the opposite line of attack
文法句型
bowl a bumper
用法筆記
Cricket-specific noun; outside this sport readers will not recognise it. Distinguish from sense 1 by the surrounding context — sports report vs. car repair report.
常見錯誤
bumper — adjective
- bumperpositive
- bumperercomparative
- bumperestsuperlative
1. much greater in size, quantity, or amount than would normally be expected, often
much greater in size, quantity, or amount than would normally be expected, often in a way that makes people pleased
Rice farmers near the river enjoyed a bumper crop after months of perfect weather.
core collocation: bumper crop
The bookstore reported a bumper year for sales of children's novels.
common pattern: a bumper year/season for X
Élise sold a bumper batch of homemade cookies at the school fair.
The cinema had a bumper weekend thanks to two new family films opening together.
Tanvi opened a bumper packet of crisps and shared them with the whole class.
文法句型
bumper + countable noun
用法筆記
Only used before a noun — you cannot say 'the harvest was bumper'. Typical objects are seasonal or countable: crop, harvest, year, season, packet, batch, edition, issue.