lump
/lʌmp/ (bre, ipa) · /lʌmp/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈləmp/ (ame, mw)
lump — noun
- lumpsingular
- lumpsplural
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.
When the cement dried overnight, it formed a rock-hard lump that was difficult to remove.
- piece
'piece' is more neutral and can refer to any fraction of something, while 'lump' emphasizes shapelessness
文法句型
lump + of + [substance]
用法筆記
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.'
常見錯誤
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.
Her retirement fund paid out as a lump sum, so she had to plan carefully how to use it.
- instalment
a single payment of a divided total, the opposite of a lump sum
文法句型
lump + of + [money/resource]
a lump sum
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
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.
文法句型
lump + on/in/behind + [body part]
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
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!
Jabari's classmates called him a lump after he spilled paint all over the floor during art class.
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
lump — verb
- lumppresent simple I / you / we / they
- lumps3rd person singular
- lumping-ing form
- lumpedpast simple
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.
- 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
文法句型
lump + it
like it or lump it
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
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.
The report lumped together sales data from three very different regions, which made the analysis misleading.
- separate
to divide into individual parts or categories
- distinguish
to recognize and treat things as different from each other
文法句型
lump + [plural noun] + together
lump + [noun] + with + [noun]
lump + [noun] + into + [category]
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
lump — adjective
- lumppositive
- lumpercomparative
- lumpestsuperlative
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.
- instalment
divided into regular payments over time
文法句型
lump sum/payment/fee
用法筆記
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.